Finding Alex Dino
by karinarios
Summary: A bewitching three-piece painting ends up in the hands of three young men of very different circumstances. Alex Dino, guardian to the royal House of Athha, discovers himself with the help of two newfound friends. Shameless AU.
1. Prologue: Fascination

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Summary: **

A bewitching three-piece painting ends up in the hands of three young men of very different circumstances. Alex Dino, guardian to the royal House of Athha, discovers himself with the help of two newfound friends. Shameless AU.

**A/N:**

_[27 November 2010] _It is officially 4:12 in the morning, and I have just finished the outline of this fic. I find _that_ weird, given it took me a year to 'think up' the climax of my first long, chaptered-story. That's why I took it as a sign that I have to write this thing down as soon as possible. So…

I hope you enjoy this story! It starts out light, and ends pretty heavily. I hope you like it! ::D

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Prologue: Fascination**

_Thursday - 21:15 _

He carefully took the canvas out of the cardboard box, and stared at the painting in his hands.

It was longer than it was wide, a simple painting of fat white clouds floating in the midst of an empty pale blue sky. There was nothing else in it really – no birds, no planes – nothing spare the perfect, almost tangible mixture of white and blue. Staring at the piece thoughtfully, trying to recall how he had made the decision to buy the painting in the first place, he traced the clouds with a finger.

Perhaps it was the thought of her. She was all he could think about these days.

He put the painting up on the wall in front of him, its box forgotten and discarded on the floor at his side. His small, single-room apartment was dark, the only traces of light coming from the soft yellow glow of the public streetlamp on the street below, and the moon floating friendless in the expanse of the night sky. Groaning slightly, his neck aching, he walked over to his tiny refrigerator, and flicked open a can of chilled coffee.

Drinking the bittersweet, heavy liquid, he stood still in the middle of the room, his mind reflexively returning to the first painting he had ever purchased.

Classes that evening had just ended, and he was dazedly walking out of the campus when he was sidetracked by an art fair near the main university street. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and so he, disheveled and slightly off-equilibrium due to the difficulty of the test he had just taken, roamed the makeshift stalls packed with paintings and people alike.

It was in the farthest corner of the complex of stands that he met him – a large, blond, cheerful man who gave the impression of being immersed in anything other than art. Behind the enthusiastic dealer, hanging on the flimsy wall partition, was a two-piece painting. A painting of fat white clouds floating in the middle of a pale blue sky.

The man explained that it was actually a three-piece painting, but the third piece, the rightmost piece, had been purchased earlier that afternoon. The artist was unknown, and it had not been given a title, and because of its strange circumstances, it was now being sold at a rock-bottom price. Upon learning this, he had glared at the painting as though it had sinned, wondering what on Earth could have possessed whoever created it to work on such an arresting piece, and not even bother to name it.

Why had they chosen to paint clouds anyway? Whoever painted clouds these days? If you wanted to see clouds, you could always just look outside on any given sunny day and marvel at the real sky instead of staring at a static, cold object…

The theme was something she would have appreciated though, he marveled, smiling slightly. He loved her to bits, but her preferences were so obscure, so whacked, that sometimes he would wonder what made her tick that way. And as he was besieged with recollections of her – the hair that was impossible to miss, her incomparable crystal eyes, the sound of her voice, above all – he had the sudden, aching need to buy it.

The painting. It reminded him too much of her.

He didn't want both pieces though; it was pointless buying two when one would suffice. Besides, the whole idea of buying only two-thirds of a three-piece painting was absurd. _It's a waste of money_, he had told himself as he fished inside his wallet, as the man began to take down the leftmost piece. _Only a waste of money… _

So he bought just one. The leftmost piece. And now, barely an hour after he had closed the deal with the art dealer, he stood alone in his dark, Spartan room thinking about the last of the three canvases, calculating what was left of his allowance for the month, praying he would pass his midterm exam, wondering what was going on where she was right now…

Exhaling forcefully, he craned his neck to relieve the stress on his nape. If he were to be honest to himself… he wanted to buy that painting. It was a waste of money, yes, but somehow he felt incomplete with having just one of the pieces. He needed a pair. A partner.

Digging into his left back pocket, his fingers closed on a simple white card bearing an office address and a name – _Mu La Flagga _of the _Le Creuset Art Gallery_. At the sight of it, he couldn't keep himself from smiling; even the man's name was difficult to forget. Can half-full of coffee in one hand, plain business card on the other, he walked over to his desk and switched on a lamp. _Tomorrow_, he swore by the wood on his table, he would buy that piece for sure.

His conflict resolved, Kira Yamato pulled up a chair, ready to review for the rest of the night.

**A/N: **

Sorry about all this. ::( My build-ups are always slow, because I tend to talk too much. But I've shortened the story as much as I can, so there will only be eight chapters, excluding the epilogue and the prologue. I hope to see you in the next chapters! Thanks for reading _FAD! [28 November 2010] _

**Next: **

**Chapter One: The Mediator**

Determined to have the last piece of the painting, Kira troops to the _Le Creuset Art Gallery_. When he gets there, however, he finds another customer even more determined than him to buy the remaining piece, and if possible, buy Kira's piece as well.


	2. Chapter 1: The Mediator

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter One: The Mediator**

**A/N: **

_[28 November 2010] _I'm an Athrun fan, so this whole fic basically revolves around him. He doesn't appear until Chapter 2 though, because like I said, my build-ups are slow. 0.o Besides, they're finding _him! _PS Sorry for my weird writing style, but I hope you like this!

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Chapter One: The Mediator**

_Friday – 09:20 _

It was awfully bright that day, the morning Kira Yamato decided to pursue his crazy ambition of starting a painting collection. The sky was an immaculate, shameless pale blue, and as Kira marveled at it, the blood pumped faster in his veins – from the sun's heat, or from his fear of making the wrong decision about the painting, he wasn't sure himself.

Pushing the glass entrance of the _Le Creuset Art Gallery _almost timidly, door chimes tinkling pleasantly over his head, Kira glimpsed a pretty woman with long brown hair and a guileless, bright smile standing behind a marble counter, before his attention was sidetracked by a familiar sight. It was the last piece, the middle piece, hanging on the blank, white wall behind her, calling out to Kira almost irresistibly.

"- may I help you?"

Mouth slightly open, Kira turned to the woman with a bemused expression, earning himself a widening of her already ear-to-ear grin. "My name is Murrue Ramius," she said patiently, walking out of the counter to reveal her pretty, peach sundress, matched with sensible, pastel shoes. "Co-curator of this gallery. Is there anything I can help you with?"

She was standing almost directly in front of him, too close for Kira's comfort though she didn't seem to notice. Fighting the flush creeping up his neck, Kira stuttered, "I-I'm Kira Yamato-"

He cleared his throat in a vain attempt to hide his anxiety. "I bought a painting yesterday, from La Flagga-san. A piece of that thing," he added, pointing at the painting on the empty wall. "I was wondering if I could… buy… that middle piece?"

"Aaah, I see…"

Murrue seemed troubled as she surveyed Kira. "I'm afraid that piece isn't for sale," she said, tone regretful. "To be honest, we're even thinking of buying back the pieces we've sold, even if it means…"

Sighing deeply, biting her lower lip, she tried to give Kira a reassuring smile. "Why don't I get Mu for you? He's the one you spoke with yesterday, right? Mercifully, he's a tad more clear-headed than me, so if you could just wait a moment… there…"

After ushering Kira to a plush maroon couch by the store's impressive bay window, Murrue disappeared into a side door, heels clicking smartly in her wake. Her ward, rugged messenger bag in hand, sat awkwardly in the small albeit elegant lobby, feeling extremely out of place in this haven of all things beautiful.

Metal sculptures of human bodies in all sorts of positions were strategically arranged on the right of the room, abstract paintings of circles and other nameless shapes looming large opposite them. Here and there were walls of plain white – it was the first time Kira had ever thought something as nondescript as a wall fascinating. The marble receiving counter was a masterpiece in itself, a bar of a wave solid and fluid at the same time. And behind it, watching over the waiting guest like a tranquil sentinel from an ancient time, was the painting. Kira's painting.

The door chimes rang for a second time that morning, interrupting Kira's wandering thoughts. A young man about Kira's age – dark haired and slender, a hat in his hand – walked into the shop, his gaze panning the room before falling on Kira. His eyes were a passionate, burning shade of crimson, and for a moment Kira was slightly taken aback by the repressed ferocity he sensed in this stranger. But the feeling immediately disappeared, as the other boy grinned at him – a smile so genuine Kira couldn't help nodding back.

The stranger briskly walked over to the counter, steps steady and self-assured. Upon reaching the desk, he casually laid his hat on the table, his other hand resting on the cool marble, as he stared up at the painting of clouds. His fingers, quick and nimble, began tapping a tune on the countertop. Kira vaguely wondered if the man was a friend of Murrue's; he seemed oddly comfortable with this mysteriously suffocating place…

"But what am I supposed to do?"

Footsteps were returning to the lobby; two people by the sound of it. Sure enough, just as Kira stood up in anticipation, Murrue and the blond man from yesterday – Mu La Flagga – emerged from a side partition, the former poking the latter almost imperceptibly.

"Yamato-san!" Mu greeted jovially, walking up to Kira, pumping his hand enthusiastically; behind him, Murrue quietly looked on, a strained smile on her face. "You sure came back quickly – What can I do for you?"

From the corner of his eye, Kira saw Mu's partner returning to the counter, the other client shifting at the sound of her approach. "I was wondering if I could buy the last piece of my painting," he began, zeroing in on the conversation he had been practicing for. "You know, the one with clouds. I wanted to buy the middle piece…"

"Hmmm." Mu scratched his chin, eyes still on Kira. "I believe Murrue told you we're thinking of buying that piece back?"

"Yes," Kira acknowledged, concentration once again sidetracked as he saw Murrue's customer pointing up at the canvas of clouds. "But I was wondering why you were planning to buy it back, and I was hoping you would consider my request…"

"Murrue and I had a misunderstanding, you see," Mu began to explain, looking apologetic. "We received the painting only a short while ago, and it was originally meant for another person. But when that person rejected it, leaving the property with us, I was all for selling it while Murrue believed we should keep it in case its first owner changes his mind."

"I'm sorry – could you repeat that?" Kira could feel those red eyes on him again. "Why would you sell it if it belongs to someone else?"

"Because he rejected it." Mu shrugged. "And because I don't particularly like the painting, I didn't think we should keep it like Murrue wants to. If he doesn't want it, we can always sell it to someone who does-"

"Excuse me." The dark haired stranger had walked up to the two men. Eyes on Kira, he asked, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you had the third piece of that painting?"

He was pointing at the clouds above the counter; Kira's eyes flickered to it briefly before it returned to the other guy's face. "Yes, I do. I have the leftmost piece." Frowning slightly, he added, "I'm guessing you have the rightmost one?"

"Yeah, I do." Grinning, shifting his hat to one hand, he cheerfully offered Kira a handshake. "I'm Shinn Asuka."

"Kira Yamato," came the reply, as the two of them shook hands. "You want to buy it then?"

"I _want_ to," Shinn admitted, letting his hand fall. "My sister Mayu bought the other piece at an art fair last night. I was pretty pissed when I found out she only bought one of three. I'd been looking for the perfect anniversary gift to give my parents, and now that I've found it, it's…"

He shrugged, grinning, as though the painting having been divided into three was a hapless but inevitable accident. "What about you, then? Why do you want to buy the third piece?"

"Oh. Uh… I didn't want to buy it last night, but then I…"

Kira sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Was this a sign that he had to give up on his lost cause? "Well, in any case, your need seems greater than mine," he said resignedly, trying for a smile. "If you really want it, then, I suppose-"

"Really? You'd even give me your part?"

"Now wait a minute, I didn't say that-"

"Hold on, gentlemen-"

Murrue had appeared at Shinn's side, expression troubled. "Haven't I been telling you that the third piece is not for sale? It's reserved for someone else."

"But you sold it," Shinn pointed out. "At a really cheap price, too, for a painting that pretty-"

"_I_ didn't sell it; _he _did," Murrue clarified almost vehemently, gesturing to Mu, who cringed. "And he did it without my permission."

"But Murrue-san," Kira began, voice pleading for the woman to see reason. "The fact is _those pieces are already sold_. Even if you refuse to sell us the middle part, you can't take the pieces Shinn-san and I have-"

"Yeah, he's right-"

Murrue was shaking her head stubbornly, hands on her hips in a defensive-offensive position. "I'll get those back even if it means I have to pay double the price you got them for," she declared. "That painting belongs to none of us; it's meant to be given to someone else-"

Mu exhaled despairingly. "The thing is, _darling_, he asked me to sell it. _In secret._ And he didn't mind me selling it at that price, either."

There was a beat of silence.

"_What?" _Murrue was extremely shocked at this bit of news. "You never told me about this-!"

"Because he asked me not to," Mu explained slowly, as though he was tired of having to confess to this. "He knew you were going to object, so he asked me to deal with the transaction for him-"

"Wait a minute," Shinn interrupted, brows furrowed in confusion, palm held up to shush the bickering curators. "I'm a bit lost. _Who_ is this person we're talking about?"

"That's confidential information-"

"His name is Alex Dino, and he's a real charmer," Mu replied instinctively, unabashedly. Expertly dodging the punch his partner aimed at him, he added, "He's taciturn, unsociable, and he also happens to be the most ungrateful person I've ever had to deal with."

"Why do you say that?" Kira asked, suddenly curious, mind reeling with questions.

Pinning Murrue's arms behind her, Mu explained, "Imagine that a person gives you a painting for free – even paying an established art gallery to make sure it gets to you without you knowing who sent it, probably even _made_ it for you. What would you do?"

"I'd keep it," Shinn answered instantly.

"Even if you didn't like it?"

"Even if I _despised _it, yeah," Shinn replied. "I mean, it's basic propriety not to give away 'that which was given to you'."

"_Bingo! _My point exactly."

"So this man," Kira clarified slowly, trying to piece together what he had learned so far. "This… Alex Dino – he received this three-piece painting, which he told Murrue-san he was entrusting to you two, but which he actually asked _you_ to sell-"

"That's right-"

"He's selling a gift so he can get… money?"

"Seems like it."

"That settles it, then," Shinn finished triumphantly. "We just need to find this Alex Dino and convince him to convince Murrue-san to sell this piece to one of us."

"_No, _we have to find him to return the pieces that we have," Kira practically ordered. It surprised even him, the sudden decision to go against what he originally came to the gallery for. "It has a bad aftertaste – owning something that should be with someone else… Besides," he added, brows meeting as he turned to Shinn, "I thought you didn't approve of what he did?"

"If I was in his position, I wouldn't do the same thing," Shinn clarified, gesticulating. "But the thing is the deed's done. _He's sold the dratted thing. _And if he doesn't want it, then I'm not holding back."

Groaning, Kira turned to the curators. They were looking back at him; she with a mixture of hope and relief, he with something akin to pity. "Who gave it to him?"

Mu and Murrue exchanged a fleeting, significant glance. "She asked us to mediate for her, and give the package to him without revealing her identity-"

"So who was she?" asked Shinn, undeterred.

"Did you not understand the part about _not revealing her identity_?"

Kira shook his head despondently as Shinn glared at Mu, who calmly stared back. This was getting more complicated than Kira had anticipated. To think there were actually two more guys involved…

"We need to find him," he declared, more to himself than to any of the others present. "We need to return these to him. We have to convince him to take these back."

Frowning, Shinn jammed his hat onto his head. "I'm not selling my piece even he begs for it. Finders keepers. If we're gonna find him, we're gonna find him to get him to sell us that last piece-"

"Take this."

Without any of them noticing, Murrue had written down a name and an address on a sheet of rose-colored paper. Eyebrows raised, she tried to stop Shinn from reading the note, but as she hastily handed it to Kira, he looked over the latter's shoulder anyway.

Squinting, Kira's crimson-eyed companion read aloud, "_Alex Dino. B117 Security Tower Housing Annex, #21 Akatsuki Avenue, Orb-" _

"21 Akatsuki Avenue," Kira repeated, eyes widening. The address would have inspired the same expression in any citizen of their country. "But that's the Royal Residence!"

Mu nodded, arms crossed against his chest. "He's a member of the Royal Guard. Under direct command of the Head Representative, I believe."

"But how will we-?"

"No turning back now, is there?" Snatching the note from a frozen Kira, Shinn, ever-impatient, stuffed the piece of paper into his jeans' back pocket. "I'm coming with you. I'm not missing out on a chance to see the Palace up close."

He took one perfunctory look at Kira; the latter was clutching his hair in his hands. "I sure hope we don't meet Uzumi-sama; not with you looking like that."

**A/N: **

It's confusing, eh? I'm really sorry; I write haphazardly. And I'd love to explain exactly what's going on, but I think that would defeat the purpose of this chapter, and the general 'mystery' of this fic - *drumrooooll*. ::( Should you decide to read on, it'll be this way all throughout.

Also, re: the title of this chapter. _The Mediator _refers to Shinn, as he's the instigator of everything the trio will embark on from this point onward. Find out in Chapter 4! _[29 November 2010] _

**Next: **

**Chapter Two: Poking Esoteric Bubbles**

The unsuspecting Alex Dino stands guard over the beloved Princess of Orb, exchanging pleasantries with her father, who seems to have a hidden agenda in mind. Yuna makes a comeback in the most fitting of reincarnations, and Kisaka fails to change his personality one bit. 'Tis a foray into the world of royal domesticity, before the plot thickens with a simple house call.

Edited: _[15 December 2010] _


	3. Chapter 2: Poking Esoteric Bubbles

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Two: Poking Esoteric Bubbles**

**A/N: **

_[29 November 2010] _My Muse, fair Muse – she knocks in the most inopportune of moments. What horror, my assignments list! Books totter and threaten to subdue me; I sigh and look away in despair. Oh Muse, fair Muse – how irresistible your cruelty! ;;(

Seriously. I should be doing something else tonight.

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously:  
Chapter One: The Mediator**

"_21 Akatsuki Avenue," Kira repeated, eyes widening. The address would have inspired the same expression in any citizen of their country. "But that's the Royal Residence!"_

_Mu nodded, arms crossed against his chest. "He's a member of the Royal Guard. Under direct command of the Head Representative, I believe." _

"_But how will we-?" _

"_No turning back now, is there?" Snatching the note from a frozen Kira, Shinn, ever-impatient, stuffed the piece of paper into his jeans' back pocket. "I'm coming with you. I'm not missing out on a chance to see the Palace up close." _

**Chapter Two: Poking Esoteric Bubbles**

_Friday – 14: 10 _

"Aaaaand, one, two, _step! _One, two, _step!" _

The reverberating sound of wood against skin, of sharp heels clicking against a marble floor…

"Nooo, Cagalli-sama! You're stepping on Kisaka's foot again!"

Alex Dino sighed quietly as Cagalli Yula Athha nearly tripped over the hem of her own dress. Had he not been in military stance, he would have buried his hands in his hair, just to make sure his brain had not overheated at the absurdity of his chosen career. How had he come to this decision again? What lotus variation had been fixed into his meal the day he decided he would dedicate his life to the protection of this walking disaster?

Even Yuna Roma Seiran, rumored to be the most gifted of all the high society dance instructors, could not polish the rough topaz that was the Princess of Orb. _To be fair to the man though,_ Alex marveled silently as Cagalli was bullied into another round of twirling, _he's certainly intractable. _

Observing the twitching bundle of nerves that was beginning to appear on Yuna's moist temples, Alex almost didn't see the smile of amusement that the Lion of Orb directed at him. Snapping back to alertness, he fixed his gaze straight ahead, and in a stage whisper, asked the general environment, "Something the matter, Your Excellency?"

Uzumi Nara Athha, leisurely enjoying jasmine tea in his favorite porcelain tea set, smiled benignly at the racket the combined complaints of his daughter and the dance instructor were making. He appeared to be positively adoring the sight. "Getting tired, Alex-kun?"

Flushing at the observation – thrown mentally off-balance by the sovereign's usual spot-on assessment of his personality – Alex stood straighter, blinking to clear his head. "No, Sir."

Chuckling softly, Uzumi placed the tip of his finger on the edge of his pale green cup, eyes on the faint steam still emanating from it. "It's perfectly normal," he said with his trademark paternal air. "I imagine you must be bored watching Cagalli make a fool of herself on an almost daily basis."

His attention momentarily distracted by Yuna's exasperated huff, the subsequent raising of arms to the high heavens, Alex sincerely replied, "Hardly, Your Excellency." The dance instructor, entourage of brightly-dressed young men and women trailing right behind him, began to stalk toward the hall entrance, his hopeless student sulking, arms akimbo, as she watched him leave. "I daresay there's something new each day…"

The Hall of Lights looked remarkably splendid against the early afternoon sun, the floor-length glass windows spanning the entire ballroom reflecting vibrant shades into a hundred directions. In the garden outside were members of the Residence Staff pruning, raking, generally tending to a wide assortment of flowering plants, with one particular group installing new fixtures on the wide granite fountain. And past the tops of the dense, ancient trees was the sky – an endless expanse of tranquil blue, tufts of white floating across it almost dreamily…

Alex's wandering mind fell back to reality at the sound of footsteps approaching.

"He says we should continue the lessons tomorrow," Cagalli grudgingly informed her father, as she plopped onto the couch where he sat, propping her shiny blond head on his shoulder. "Not that it makes any difference, postponing the torture by a day-"

Casually, almost unthinkingly, she stretched her legs over the arms of the couch, her bare ankles right in front of Alex. Blinking at the stretch of white skin that seemed oddly paler than the rest of her, he felt inexplicable warmth creeping up the side of his face.

"Cagalli-sama! Sit properly!" The ever-vigilant Maman chided, popping out of nowhere to stand at Alex's right. "That is not how a lady is expected to behave! What the press will say should they see you! A princess must always carry herself with-"

"_Dignity, grace and poise_ – I _know_," Cagalli supplied lazily, eyebrows knitted in irritation as she gently propped her feet back to _terra firma_. "Do I really have to learn all this though? I mean, what's the point of studying how to dance when I've got to prepare for more important stuff like – oh! – _running a country_. Apparently _waltzing_ is far more important than prepping me up for my _succession as Head Representative_!"

"You've been practicing your Acceptance Speech for a week," Ledonir Kisaka pointed out as he approached. With a brief glance at Alex, he proceeded to stand on the other end of the couch, albeit informally. "One would think you'd mastered it completely by now-"

"The point _is _there are more productive activities to engage in than dancing-!"

"Perhaps my daughter is merely intimidated by your presence, Kisaka," Uzumi commented sagely, putting his tea cup down as everyone turned to him in surprise. "After all, you've been lecturing her on duty and propriety since the day you came to lead her guard. Perhaps she's developed a reflex reluctance to be – ahhh, how do you say this – _chummy_ with you…"

"May I suggest someone more familiar instead?" The sovereign turned to the young man standing beside him, who stiffened visibly. "Alex, perhaps?"

Beads of sweat forming at his temples, Alex did his best to appear completely unaffected by his superior's teasing. Cagalli – frowning, eyes locked on him – appeared to be considering the suggestion seriously, before she tore her gaze away and huffed.

"Agent Dino probably doesn't even know how to dance," she baited, observing her fingernails as though they were most fascinating. "Apparently, all he cares about is wiping his guns all day, and building mechanical what-nots, and frowning at the universe in general."

He couldn't help it. Alex's eyebrow rose as everyone present broke into their personal manifestations of amusement; they had always known he was a quiet and reserved individual, but it wasn't often that someone complained about his personality aloud. Kisaka was struggling to repress his mirth by coughing into his fist; Maman had erupted into giggles. Cagalli was grinning at him vindictively; Uzumi did not even bother to hide his chuckle. Even the guards standing at the sidelines, by the windows, seemed to be lapsing into silent waves of laughter, their serious faces crumpling into dimpled smiles.

And the man in question… merely continued frowning at the universe in general.

"I've seen just the same lessons you have," Alex replied, maintaining a blank expression. "And I'm almost certain I'm better at dancing than you are-"

"How can you tell when you haven't even tried?"

"Because I'm better than you at everything."

The room erupted into unrestrained laughter. Kisaka and Maman were both clutching at their sides, the former wiping tears from his eyes. One of the guards actually had to fake a cough to keep himself from laughing, ending up gagging and hacking up his lungs instead. Even Uzumi was laughing unabashedly, all dignity forgotten, repeatedly hitting the arm of his couch to vent his feelings. When his incorrigible daughter turned to glare at him, her eyes brown daggers, he wavered slightly and settled for a mere grin.

"We-ll," he began as the laughter died down, his voice trembling slightly. "Alex _has_ beaten you in every test you've taken together, dear."

She turned to glare at the silent offender, but he refused to humor her. Still in military stance, shoulders steady, Alex stared straight ahead, ignoring Cagalli's burning gaze. Maman was trying to engage her ward in a conversation about her dresses for the ceremony, but the latter would not listen. She merely sat beside her father, glaring at her childhood friend, who, for his part, obstinately refused to acknowledge her existence.

Uzumi sighed softly as Maman ranted on. Kisaka, sensing the low cry of exasperation, offered the sovereign an apologetic, pitying smile.

Suddenly, the double doors of the Hall of Lights swung open, and through them walked an orange-haired young man. Heine Westenfluss, Assistant Head of Surveillance, waltzed in, dressed in a floral-themed blue Hawaiian top ill-matched with dark cargo pants. Informally waving at everyone present – flashing his usual easy smile on the Princess, who brightened upon seeing him – he walked right up to Alex, planting a hand on his classmate's shoulder.

"You have guests waiting for you at the Tower." Mincing words had never been one of Heine's habits. "I thought you should go meet them, so I'm here to take your place."

In his surprise, Alex's hands fell to his sides, his emerald eyes widening as he failed to contain his shock. Around him, people seemed stunned as well. Cagalli was looking at her friend thoughtfully, almost worriedly, while her father processed the fresh information in silence. For his part, Alex slipped into speechlessness, questions flitting through his mind like elusive nightingales…

Was it the couple from the gallery?

"A woman and a man?" Alex heard himself ask, his voice oddly distant. "In their early thirties – the man's blond, and the woman's-"

"Nah, it's just two guys," Heine answered, looking away to recollect. "I forgot their names, but they're both pretty young. College students, probably."

"You should go meet them, Alex." Cagalli had gotten to her feet, standing beside him as she rested her fingers on his arm. Jerking awake at her touch, he turned to his childhood friend, and saw that she was smiling at him gently, encouragingly. "Go meet them. I'll be fine."

Blinking, the sentinel slowly recovered from his shock. Nodding dazedly, briefly meeting Cagalli's eyes one more time, he nodded at Uzumi, who merely smiled as his daughter did. "Don't worry about us," said the sovereign. "Concentrate on entertaining your guests."

"Right…" He nodded once more, as though in a trance. "Please excuse me…"

As he left the room, four pairs of eyes followed him, their gazes a mixture of worry and confusion. An ominous feeling was palpable in the atmosphere, so heavy that everyone could sense it. Turning to a frozen Cagalli, Heine, bemused, inquired, "I don't get it. Why does everyone seem so shocked that Alex has guests?"

She merely stared at him, apparently too preoccupied to gather her wits and reply. Kisaka merely looked away, gaze pensive, as Uzumi leaned against the couch and sighed in thoughtful meditation. It was Maman, a troubled frown on her face, who answered.

"Alex has been living in the Residence for twenty-one years," she stated, earning Heine's confirming nod. "He was abandoned on the threshold of the Security Tower, wrapped in blankets, with no other possessions-"

"_It was a cold, rainy night – _I know," Heine butted in impatiently. "The maids talk."

Unperturbed, Maman went on. "And he's lived with us for twenty-one years, inside this house, within these walls, with only the guards and the employees for company…"

Heine frowned. This narration seemed to be leading nowhere.

"Alex doesn't have any friends outside the Residence," Cagalli explained gently, regaining control of her senses, and taking over the explanation. "He grew up here, and he rarely goes out. _He doesn't know anyone else_."

Seeing comprehension dawn on Heine's face, she smiled gently. "I've known Alex for twenty-one years. And he's never had any guests. _Ever_."

**A/N: **

Yehey! Happy happy joy joy! Uzumi is such a blessing to write! (The Princess, too!) It's during moments like these when one appreciates the wide variety of personalities that _SEED _has assembled. It's so fun making all of them interact! ::D

This chapter is for **moi **– _FAD_'s first reviewer! _[3 December 2010] _

**Next: **

**Chapter Three: Restaurant Revelations**

Kira and Shinn kidnap a half-willing Alex and take him to their favorite college hangout. As a certain crimson-eyed hothead bargains for the last piece of the cloud painting, his gentler pseudo-friend attempts to dig into Alex's reasons for discarding the gift. When the origin of the painting is revealed, however, things only become more complicated. A flight plan develops.


	4. Chapter 3: Restaurant Revelations

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Three: Restaurant Revelations**

**A/N: **

_[3 December 2010] _I know I said the reasons for Shinn's being _The Mediator _would be revealed in Chapter Four, but apparently, I got confused with my own plot draft, and gave away incorrect information. It's in _this _chapter that Shinn's 'keeping-the-group-together' instinct first appears, leading the trio to new adventures. [PS This fic assumes that Athrun/Alex, Kira and Shinn are all of the same age.] Enjoy! ::D

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously:**

**Chapter Two: Poking Esoteric Bubbles**

_Heine frowned. This narration seemed to be leading nowhere. _

"_Alex doesn't have any friends outside the Residence," Cagalli explained gently, regaining control of her senses, and taking over the explanation. "He grew up here, and he rarely goes out. _He doesn't know anyone else._" _

_Seeing comprehension dawn on Heine's face, she smiled gently. "I've known Alex for twenty-one years. And he's never had any guests. _Ever._" _

**Chapter Three: Restaurant Revelations**

_Friday – 15: 07 _

Hands from either side of Alex Dino pushed the glass doors of the establishment open, revealing a restaurant packed with dozens of college-age kids eating, studying, playing cards, and – it could be sworn – fortune-telling in various nooks and corners. As he was forcibly dragged and pulled inside the madhouse, a cacophony of a hundred different noises reaching his delicate ears, Alex cringed. Somehow, he was beginning to regret agreeing to eat out with these guys…

The last sane memory he could recall was walking into the Residence's Security Tower, and seeing two dark-haired young men loitering in the lobby. The first one who spoke – a kind, rather timid, purple-eyed person in a plain white jacket, plain blue shirt, and equally plain jeans and running shoes – introduced himself as Kira Yamato, a senior Engineering student at Orb State. His more energetic companion – rushing forward enthusiastically, red eyes glinting, a knitted hat in his hand – said he was Shinn Asuka, an Architecture graduate from Logos Institute of Design.

Alex, bewildered, merely stared at the pair of them, trying to figure out their motives for visiting him. And they, in turn, merely smiled at him – one gently, one brightly – as both offered to explain their reasons over a late lunch. _Impulse_, Shinn had suggested. _Their Wicked Fail Oreos are fantastic! _[1]

And so, it had been decided – somehow – that Alex would be dragged out of the Residence in the middle of his shift, and crammed into the backseat of a taxi between these two oddly, eerily happy strangers. And Alex Dino, being too confused, had not even thought to incapacitate both of them with his famed karate chops.

"Shinn-san," he heard himself whisper to the guy on his left. "What were we going to talk about again?"

Looking determined, marching right up to an empty booth by the window, its table littered with plates from previous customers, Shinn merely replied, "You'll find out later."

A mild-mannered green-haired waiter had reached the table before them. With an apologetic grin, the guy quickly cleared the booth, as Shinn and Alex awkwardly stood waiting, the former turning around to frown at something at a distance. "Kira-san!"

Alex had not noticed that Kira was not with them. Apparently, the third member of their little lunch group had been hailed by two of his college friends – a pretty girl with short brown hair and bright eyes, and a guy in glasses – and they had fallen into chatting in the middle of the restaurant walkway. Hearing Shinn's cry, seeing that they had secured a table, Kira's mood dropped perceptibly. Alex could see him formulating a quick, half-honest goodbye to his friends, who merely watched Kira walk away with a shared befuddled expression.

Their preferred booth finally cleared, Shinn and Alex slid into opposite seats, easing closer to the large bay windows that overlooked the downtown avenue bordering the restaurant. Kira rushed after them, instantly choosing to sit with Shinn, such that their impending talk seemed to be more of a confrontation of two against one.

Alex inwardly bristled at the thought. Although Shinn had busied himself with the restaurant menu, Kira was looking at him oddly, his mood still downcast and wary, as though Alex was prone to doing something reckless any second. Bracing himself, Alex put his hands together and, leaning forward, requested, "Now can you please tell me what's going on? I have to get back to work."

Kira's guarded expression instantly transformed into one of chagrin. "We're sorry to disturb you, Alex-san, but we had to talk to you-"

"Yeah, about those paintings," Shinn added, face half-hidden by the large menu.

"That three-piece painting?" Alex confirmed, mildly incredulous.

"Yes, we bought the other two," Kira explained, gesturing to Shinn and himself. "The last piece is still in the _Le Creuset Gallery_…"

"So it hasn't been sold yet," Alex muttered, mostly to himself. "But why is it in pieces…?"

"That's why we came to see you," Kira said earnestly, leaning forward for more convincing power. "We think the paintings shouldn't be sold."

"Speak for yourself." Shinn suddenly put the menu down, and stared straight at Alex with his overwhelming red eyes. "Why'd you sell them anyway?"

The latter flustered. "That's none of your concern-" He paused midway, lips parting in realization. "Wait, how'd you even know about me?"

"Mu-san and Murrue-san told us," Shinn replied without hesitation, Kira softly nodding beside him. "Kira here thinks you should keep those, because they were supposedly made for you-"

"Whatever your reasons, you should never sell a gift-"

"And I'm here because I'm going to convince you to sell me the last piece," Shinn told Alex frankly, gaze never faltering. "Or – well – get you to convince Murrue-san to sell me the last piece, because she refuses to sell it to anyone."

Considering his two companions for a moment, Alex felt a strange feeling of numbness overcoming him. It was blunting his senses, dulling his mind, and for a second he merely sat there, at a loss for what to do next. Frowning slightly, he looked away, distracting himself with the image of the city street sprawled before his eyes – a jogger with his dog on a leash, a bald man selling hotdogs beside the traffic light, a family of four walking past him happily…

"Alex-san," Kira gently interrupted his musings. Turning slowly, Alex was mildly surprised to see two pairs of eyes reflecting questions at him. "Sorry for being rude, but why did you sell those pieces?"

He hesitated momentarily, casting his gaze lower. "It's not that I want to sell them," Alex began to explain, biting his lower lip. "It's just that…"

Raising his eyes, he willed them to understand. "Kira-san. What do you see in the painting?"

"Uhhhh." Kira seemed taken aback by the unprecedented question. "Being together even though we're apart. My – uh – girlfriend and I…"

"And you Shinn-san?"

A shrug. "Family, warmth, security."

Expression slightly triumphant, Alex laid his open palms on the table in a gesture of_ voila_. "I don't feel anything out of them. They don't say anything to me. You two may get memories out of them, but I don't." Sighing, he locked his fingers in an inconspicuous manifestation of anxiety. "Besides. I need the money. It's Cagalli's birthday next week, and I-"

"Whoa!" Shinn suddenly interrupted. "You just called the Princess by her first name-!"

Alex merely settled for staring him down, while Kira actually elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Rubbing at his sore side, Shinn chose not to comment further, although his mouth remained occupied in forming a silent "Ow!" of pain.

"Anyway…" Alex plowed on, blinking to clear Shinn's diversion from his thoughts. "It's her 21st birthday, and I wanted to get her something… special." Feeling the telltale signs of a blush tingeing his face, Alex hastily cleared his throat, and added, "More than that…"

He paused once more, closing his eyes as he simultaneously marveled at and cursed his inability to express his feelings properly. "Because Cagalli is legally of age, Uzumi-sama will be retiring." Comprehension dawned on Shinn's face, while Kira's eyebrows remained furrowed. "I've been saving for the occasion for a while now, but when I found the right gift, I…"

Groaning softly, he let his burning face fall into his clammy palms. "It's just so-"

"Excuse me, Sirs. Are you ready to order?"

The three of them instinctively turned to the voice – a cheerful waitress was patiently standing beside their booth, small notepad in hand, her eyes twinkling. Her short pink hair had been tied back into two low pigtails, and she wore the standard blood-red uniform of Impulse staff. The three men reacted differently: Kira merely ogled the waitress, stuck in goldfish-speechlessness syndrome, while Alex blinked up at her as though he couldn't believe there was someone else in this restaurant aside from himself and the two people he had been talking to.

Shinn, however, with his trademark impatience coupled with bared teeth, seemed severely unhappy. "Miss – Lunamaria," he read the nameplate pinned to her chest. "Can't you see we're in the middle of an important conversation here? We'll call you when we want something – now please, _leave us alone_."

For a moment, Alex thought Lunamaria would pounce, the way her eyes glittered dangerously. Then, regaining her composure – perhaps remembering the rather misleading mantra that the customer was always right – she settled for glaring at Shinn, before turning on her heel with an audible huff, and stalking away with heavy footsteps, disappearing into the confines of the kitchen.

Kira could only stare at his companion in utter disbelief. Shinn, having seen the waitress' skirt swish one last time, returned his ire pound-per-pound, and merely said, _"What?" _

Shaking his head despondently, Kira turned to their third companion with a sigh, finding Alex staring at the street outside again, looking thoroughly unhappy. "Alex-san."

He met their eyes, the emerald orbs appearing even more filled with worries than before. "You have to understand," Alex practically begged. "Uzumi-sama took me in right when I just a child, and he's been taking care of me since. Cagalli is my best friend." He shook his head, closing his eyes as though pained. "I'm not even family, yet they treat me so kindly – I have to show my gratitude _somehow_…"

"The person who made that painting," he continued. "Whoever he is, I have no attachment to him. He may be my father, for all I know, but I have no memories of him. If it's a choice between giving up what that person gave me in exchange for something I can give to the two most important people in my life…"

The three of them lapsed into silence as they considered the predicament at hand. Two wondered how they would react had they been forced into the same situation; the last ached over the consequences of his recent decisions. They stared at the tabletop for what seemed like hours, not saying a word to each other, merely observing the grain on the hardwood, and contemplating the people in their lives. Had they been stuck in that situation – given another chance to decide – what would they have gone for, really?

Kira broke the silence first.

"We'll help you get the amount you need for that gift, Alex-san," he vowed solemnly, deathly serious, with his palms set on the table as though to steady his turbulent emotions. "Just, please, don't sell your painting."

As Alex looked up at Kira with a hard-lined face, Shinn immediately sobered. "Aaaah, what-" He struggled, trying to changing the topic before the tension escalated. "What makes you think he's a guy, the person who made you that painting?" As Alex turned to him, slowly, face still set in a harsh expression, Shinn inhaled raggedly. "The curators referred to the sender as a she. Didn't… they tell you anything?"

Alex frowned, although not from irritation. "They didn't want to, but I got the information out of them." _I'm trained at intel gathering, after all. _"It seems the person who requested them to handle the transfer is the friend of a friend. Their classmate from college seems to be teaching in an arts school in PLANT, and she's a student of his."

Vaguely sensing Kira tense, Alex plowed on. "Lacus Clyne. That's her name – the student of the friend-"

"_Lacus Clyne?" _

Kira had gotten to his feet, pounding their table, practically shouting the alien name to the rest of the world, and shocking half the shop into silence. Shinn, scandalized, rose to pull Kira down; the latter regained some of his wits, and panned the room self-consciously, returning to his timid self.

"Did you just say Lacus Clyne?" he demanded of Alex in a whisper.

"Yes," Alex replied slowly, wary that Kira would explode again. "That's the name of the student. The friend is called Waltfeld, Bartfeld, something-"

"How do you know Lacus Clyne?"

"I don't know her," Alex answered simply. "That's why I didn't accept the painting."

Shinn, silent, glanced interchangeably between the two, like a spectator in a lightning-speed tennis match. His eyes finally falling on a catatonic Kira, he asked with ill-disguised suspicion, "How do _you _know Lacus Clyne?"

Unnerved, Kira answered, "She's my girlfriend."

"_Eehh?" _Shinn almost toppled backward, hitting his head on the window, and in his shock, barely noticing. Alex stoically maintained his rigid posture, although his eyes widened considerably. "Your _girlfriend_?"

Kira ignored their stunned reaction. Still shaken, he raised flashing eyes at Alex. "When you say you don't know her-"

"No! No, I really don't know her-"

"So this Lacus person – your girlfriend – did she paint this thing?"

Alex opened his mouth to speak but Kira answered first. "No, it's not her. I've never seen her paint anything; in the first place, she's a music major."

"I don't think it's her either," Alex supplied, a beat after Kira had ceased talking. "She's just a mediator for someone else."

"Hmmm…" Shinn, pensive, joined his hands together, and stared at them. The other two seeming incapable of thinking rationally at the moment, he felt it his responsibility to make the decisions for all of them. And so-

"Right," he declared. "There's only one solution then. We're going to PLANT."

Raising his eyes, he found the other two staring at him with open mouths, incredulous faces. The image would have been comical to the extreme, had Shinn not been serious with his pronouncement. "Please tell me you're joking," Kira hoarsely uttered.

Grinning, Shinn shook his head. "Think about it. We've all got reasons to go there." He pointed at Alex. "You need to find the painter-" Next, he turned to Kira. "You want to meet your girlfriend." He pointed at himself. "And I-"

He paused.

"Well, let's just forget about me-"

"But I have classes, and Alex-san has work-"

"Alex-san can always just take a leave," Shinn reasoned. "We finish our job during the weekend, we come back. The event's on Monday, right?" As Alex nodded vaguely, eyes glassy, Shinn turned to Kira, frowning thoughtfully. "Do you even have classes on Saturdays?"

"_I'm preparing for the board exam_-"

"You can always skip."

Kira simply stared at Shinn, as though the latter was insane. After one frozen moment, Shinn settled for grinning back – it cemented that impression every time…

"Exactly what is it that you do, Shinn-san?" Alex suddenly asked in halting speech, interrupting the eye contact contest between the other two. "Your profession, I mean."

Shinn grinned wider.

"I'm done taking _the board_," he stated, with a teasing look at Kira, "so I'm a licensed bum. The results aren't out yet, so… I stay at home and cook, do the laundry, clean – pretty much everything."

"Why don't you work elsewhere for a while?" Kira suggested, the same proposition countless others had brought up before him.

Considering the question carefully, Shinn smiled sadly – downcast for the first time – and shook his head, on his face an expression of nostalgia. Then, brightening up again after a disturbingly quick gap, he proposed, "So how about it? PLANT?"

**A/N: **

I personally hated Shinn throughout _Destiny _– to me, he seemed such a spoiled brat – so I'm trying to get myself to like him here by making his personality loveable. I don't think the characterization's too far off either. Had they not been involved in the Wars, Kira would have been shy and gentle for the rest of his life, Athrun/Alex would have been reserved still, and Shinn would have been an impulsive but happy, selfish brat. _Voila! _

And yes, green-haired waiter is Nicol Amarfi; his pink-haired colleague is Lunamaria Hawke. Kira's girl and guy friend are Miriallia Haww and Sy Argyle, respectively. There will be a lot of cameos in this fic – and the names of mobile suits pop up in the most unlikely places. Since there's no need for war in this story, I settled for the current naming arrangement.

Reading through the chapter again though, I found the abrupt appearances distracting. In future, I'll tone the cameos down. _[4 December 2010]_

**Next: **

**Chapter Four: Flight**

With Shinn's prodding, the three end up booking tickets for the soonest possible flight to PLANT. Kira skips classes, Alex ditches work, and Shinn… is happy. While waiting for their flight to leave, the three talk about their lives, their relationships, and what they believe the future holds for them. Completely action-less chapter, with more talk than actual movement; author attempts to pursue personal unchartered territory popularly known as 'character development'.

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Wicked Fail Oreos_. One time, as we were trying to cook breakfast, my friend attempted to fry oreos coated in pancake mix – we trusted her, given she takes cooking lessons. Problem was, the only pans available were too shallow, and the cookie-things kept getting burned to a crisp. Hence, the birth of _Wicked Fail Oreos_.


	5. Chapter 4: Flight

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Four: Flight**

**A/N: **

_[4 December 2010] _Huh. I knew this would be quick. I started this barely a week ago, and now we've gotten to half the story. Unbelievable, the wonders a completed plot draft can do for a fic.

Admin note: I edited some character flaws in _Chapter One: The Mediator. _Minor stuff, but I felt that if noticed and taken seriously, they might damage the story.

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Three: Restaurant Revelations**

"_Right," he declared. "There's only one solution then. We're going to PLANT." _

_Raising his eyes, he found the other two staring at him with open mouths, incredulous faces. The image would have been comical to the extreme, had Shinn not been serious with his pronouncement. "Please tell me you're joking," Kira hoarsely uttered. _

_Grinning, Shinn shook his head. "Think about it. We've all got reasons to go there." He pointed at Alex. "You need to find the painter-" Next, he turned to Kira. "You want to meet your girlfriend." He pointed at himself. "And I-" _

_He paused._

"_Well, let's just forget about me-" _

**Chapter Four: Flight**

_Saturday – 12: 24 (Orb) _

With barely an hour left before the next flight to PLANT, Alex Dino was getting tetchy. Brooding with his hands in his pockets as per usual, he observed the runway from the glass-walled departure area, eyes following the progress of the plane resupplying. Beside him stood a pensive Kira Yamato, on whose other side lounged Shinn Asuka, nose almost pressed against the window. They had been standing there for quite some time now, yet not a word had passed between the three of them in the past few minutes. Strangely, Alex found the silence uncomfortable.

Clearing his throat slightly, he ventured, "I've always wondered why they sold the painting in three parts. It wasn't meant to be sold separately," he explained, seeing Kira turn to him with blank eyes.

"Who knows," Shinn muttered, eyes unmoving. "That couple's weird. I can't even tell if they're supposed to be dating or not."

"Still," Kira noted airily, gazing at the runway again. "It must be nice working so close to each other…"

Alex started while Shinn stood a little straighter. Kira – while they loitered around the airport, having ran out of things to do – had told them about his girlfriend Lacus, and how she had earned the music scholarship that had enabled her to study in PLANT. Apparently, she had been studying there for almost six months, and Kira's only form of contact with her was a weekly, irregularly scheduled phone call.

"Hey, Kira, aren't you excited to see Lacus again?" Shinn, with fresh informality, asked the question that had been weighing in Alex's mind. "Why didn't you send word that we're coming?"

"Well, I…" Kira bit his lip, brows furrowing. As his friends watched, he let loose a soft sigh, and vaguely murmured, "I didn't want to bother her… I guess."

Sensing that this was not the right time to push the discussion, Alex deliberately veered to Shinn. "What about you, Shinn-san? Any girlfriends?"

He pouted. "Just call me Shinn, jeez. How many times do I have to tell you?" Rubbing his nose as he considered the question, Shinn grumbled, "I don't have _time _for girlfriends. I just want to get a job right now-"

"I thought you didn't want to apply anywhere?" Kira asked, slowly snapping back to his usual self.

"It's not that I don't want to work," Shinn retorted, slightly annoyed that his employment status was being picked at again. "I've actually been offered a couple of jobs, but I rejected them. If I can't get a position in Gaia Design, then it's not worth it."

"Gaia Design," Kira repeated, tasting the words on his tongue. "I hear their application waiting list is pretty long. You might have to wait a while."

"But I graduated with honors," Shinn pointed out shamelessly. "From a top Architectural school, no less. And it's not the first time I've been told that. My parents say my standards are too high, and I should start somewhere more realistic, but…" He suddenly smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Architect Loussier's pretty amazing, isn't she?"

"Architect Loussier?" Alex butted in. "You mean Stellar Loussier?"

"Wait – _you know her?_" Startled, Shinn actually banged on the glass wall they had been looking through. "_How do you know her_?"

"She's a friend of Cagalli's," Alex replied, slightly taken aback by Shinn's sudden enthusiasm. "They had the same painting teacher. She'll be attending the party on Monday-"

"You _have _to take me-!"

"What about you, Alex-san?" Kira asked out of the blue, a hand flung out to subdue the jittery Shinn. "What's going on between you and Cagalli-sama?"

Alex recoiled slightly, nostrils flaring almost imperceptibly. "What do you mean what's going on between the two of us? I'm her bodyguard-!"

"Aah, but you seem distant every time you talk about her-"

"Forget distant. Catatonic's more like it-"

"There is nothing romantic going on between us," Alex clarified in a firm voice. Nevertheless, Kira and Shinn still both worth identical grins of mischief. "She's a good friend, and my boss's daughter-"

"But you like her?"

"Obviously, he does," Shinn pointed out, snorting. "After all, he swore to protect her with his life, didn't he?"

The brutal frankness of Shinn's words forced his companions into speechlessness. Turning toward the clear expanse of sky before him – so similar to the painting that had brought the three of them together – Alex sighed. "She's probably going to get tied to an arranged marriage, anyway."

"_Aha!_" Shinn declared triumphantly, dramatically pointing a finger at Alex. "So you _do _like her!"

But Alex merely shrugged and started pacing back to the bench with their baggage, ignoring the glowing look on Shinn's face. Kira, for his part, was grinning madly, following Alex with his eyes. "She's probably amazing enough to have you sprouting cheese like that," he noted, earning a blank stare.

And then, with a small snort, Alex cracked. He grinned, too.

**A/N:**

Right. Super short chapter that took weeks to upload. Schedule got a bit whacked because of Christmas prep. This season's crazy in my country. But! On to the next chap! _[18 December 2010] _

**Next: **

**Chapter Five: A School of Arts **

More opportunities for cameos arise as the trio finally reaches PLANT in search of Lacus Clyne. Soldiers become artists, but romantic attachments stay the same. Alex, upon literally unlocking a door, finds out the truth about his identity. The discovery leads him and his newfound friends on another pit-stop of their adventure, digging into more trouble, and unleashing more deadly secrets of world-destruction caliber.


	6. Chapter 5: A School of Arts

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Five: A School of Arts**

**A/N: **

_[18 December 2010] _Things are going to get tricky from here on out. Please be warned. Also, heads up for a relatively long-winded chapter. [Hello to **flutter** and **moi**! I love you, guys!]

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously:**

**Chapter Four: Flight**

"_There is nothing romantic going on between us," Alex clarified in a firm voice. Nevertheless, Kira and Shinn still both worth identical grins of mischief. "She's a good friend, and my boss's daughter-" _

"_But you like her?"_

"_Obviously, he does," Shinn pointed out, snorting. "After all, he swore to protect her with his life, didn't he?" _

**Chapter Five: A School of Arts**

_Sunday – 09:04 (PLANT) _

"Lacus-sama?" The raven-haired student assistant frowned at them. "I don't think there are students here right now. I mean, it's Sunday morning, after all…"

_It certainly looks like a Sunday_, Shinn Asuka grudgingly thought. He had gotten so excited with the idea of heading off to PLANT on an adventure that he hadn't factored in the time difference after the trip. Fully expecting to disembark at the famed Junius Arts Institute surrounded by a crowd of young artists, Shinn had been more than irritated at being welcomed by only one student assistant leisurely perched behind the reception desk. It didn't help that she didn't seem to like him at all, as she merely glared at him the moment he leaned over the counter to talk to her.

"Er, yes, I realize that," Shinn replied in a whisper, his annoyance rising to familiar, ominous levels. "Thing is, her boyfriend here desperately wants to see her," for effect, he turned to the pale, catatonic Kira Yamato being comforted valiantly by a confused Alex Dino, "only he's forgotten her home address so we can't visit her directly-"

"What kind of boyfriend forgets his girlfriend's address?" the assistant countered, frowning.

"Listen, Miss – _Meer_ –"

"What's the problem?" Alex politely cut through the beginning of Shinn's tirade. "She's not here?"

Shinn irritably turned to his friend, eyes flashing. "Well, we did get here on a Sunday, _Alex-" _

"Are you Lacus-sama's boyfriend?" Meer suddenly asked in pleasant tones, smiling brightly at Alex as though he was an old friend. It could be sworn she was even batting her fake eyelashes at him as their gazes met. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from Lacus-sama's boyfriend – you're such a perfect pair-!"

"Actually, I'm – not – her…" Fumbling, reddening, Alex dragged the listless Kira forward, pointing at him. "He's the boyfriend. Kira Yamato."

Meer, heavily glossed lips slightly parted, blinked. "Oh."

She turned her curious gaze to Alex once more, her eyebrows furrowing in a query. Quailing under her gaze, he backed a step as she rested her elbows on the counter, leaning close. "Now that I think about it, you're the spitting image of-"

"Campbell-san, is something the matter?"

A dignified middle-aged woman with golden brown hair approached. She was of medium height and pleasant features, dressed in plain jeans and a simple pale blue shirt, but something about the careful way she carried herself made one conjure an impression of nobility. As the visitors reflexively straightened their backs to brace themselves for her arrival, the woman's expression softened, and she smiled in amusement.

"Gladys-kaichou!" Meer instantly rose to her feet, clasping her hands together in an expression of humility. "I didn't think you'd be up this early, Ma'am!"

Shinn composed himself as he observed the woman, who merely smiled, and raised at hand at the embarrassed student assistant. _So she's the President of the Institute_. Shinn forcibly hid a smile; they had bumped into just the right person…

"Kaichou-san," he spoke suddenly, startling everyone present. Ignoring Alex's wide eyes and Kira's steadily paling face, he took a deep breath and continued. "I'm Shinn Asuka, and these are my friends Alex Dino and Kira Yamato. We've just arrived from Orb, and it's our first time here in your country…"

He paused, and stole a glance at Gladys. Inexplicably, however, she was looking straight at Alex, as though measuring him, trying to place his face. At sensing Shinn's gaze though, she immediately crossed her arms, face set. Reassuring Shinn that she was listening, she nodded for him to continue.

"My friend Kira here," for the second time in the past five minutes, the timid Kira was dragged forth by the collar despite his muted protests, "has a girlfriend studying in this Institute, a music major named Lacus Clyne." Shinn plowed on, releasing Kira, as Gladys started. "He and Lacus-san haven't seen each other for six months, and he came here wanting to surprise her. But since he doesn't have her home address…"

Almost like a skilled actor, he turned to Meer Campbell with the most pitiful face he could muster; behind him, he could sense Alex bristle almost imperceptibly. "We were hoping Campbell-san would be able to help us, but she even refused to believe that Kira was Lacus-san's boyfriend-"

"_Wait a minute, I never-!_"

"Lacus Clyne?" Gladys repeated innocently, four pairs of eyes turning toward her. "The songstress? You don't need her home address."

"B-but, Kaichou-san-!"

Almost grinning, Gladys let her arms fall. "You don't need her home address," she repeated, "because Lacus is here right now."

XXX

Glaring at Shinn one last time, Meer held open the glass doors leading to the Fine Arts wing as the three men walked past with their luggage. "Studio 17 is the third to the last door to your left – you can't miss it."

Grinning freely just to tempt her further, Shinn said, "Thanks so much, Meer-san. We appreciate it, truly." Throwing an arm around Kira, he chirped, "Saa, Kira! Shall we march onward then?"

Watching his two companions lead the way, Alex sighed. He had quickly gotten the impression that Shinn was not one to hide his thoughts, but he didn't think he'd be so blunt as to speak freely to the President of a prestigious academy. It had actually frightened him, that conversation.

"Well then, Alex-san," a faint, almost breathless voice wafted from beside him. He turned and saw Meer Campbell smiling up at his face, her hands clasped together, although in a manner completely different from the way she had greeted Gladys. "I hope you enjoy your stay in PLANT."

"Uh…" Alex blinked rapidly, wondering what to say next. "Thank you…" Glancing away, he raised a hand to clear his throat, as he searched the wind for the right words. "Um… Sorry you got scolded because of us. Shinn's actually not as bad as you think he is…"

"Huh." For a moment, Meer's eyes narrowed in irritation. Just as quickly, however, she regained control of herself as she looked up at Alex once more. "Anyway, just call me if you need a tour guide or anything-"

And before he could react properly, a pink business card was forced into his hand as Meer ran off in a flurry of unsteady footsteps and flying raven hair. For a few moments, Alex merely watched the empty space in front of him, speechless due to the unprecedented end of the conversation, before he realized he was holding something. Reading what Meer had left him, he learned she was a music major, that she lived in a place called Copernicus City, and that her phone number was-

"Alex, what are you doing?"

He turned around quickly, almost guiltily, and saw Shinn waving at him from beside an open door a considerable distance away. Gulping, Alex pulled at his suitcase, and walked forward as he slipped the pink card into his jacket pocket. God knew the consequences of Shinn catching him with such incriminating evidence…

"We've found her all right," Shinn whispered to him as he approached. Raising a hand to rest on Alex's shoulder, he smiled softly. "You go in first."

Bowing his head reflexively, Alex walked past the threshold, muttering a quiet greeting. When he looked up, the first thing he saw was the abnormally bright sunshine filtering through the full-length windows of the room, the placid blue sky up ahead. Lost in a memory of a disastrous dancing lesson, he only vaguely noticed the other occupants of the room when he heard a woman exclaim.

"You've gotten thinner! Have you been eating properly?" A pretty, blue-eyed girl with silken pink tresses was holding Kira at arm's length, looking into his eyes with a mixture of worry and happiness. "Don't tell me you've been keeping yourself alive on coffee again?"

She was dressed in a floor-length, blood red dress with plenty of crisscrossing ribbons, her hair adorned with roses while several petals were scattered at her feet. On the throne behind her, Alex perceived the sharp edge of a silver knife, its handle covered in red silk. Despite the relaxing nature of the room, Alex vaguely felt that he had walked into a murder scene, with the beautiful, goddess-like criminal presenting her sins unremorsefully to the world. Kira, however, seemed oblivious to all this.

"Uh… haha." As Kira sheepishly raised a hand to ruffle his hair, grinning madly, Alex sensed a pair of eyes surveying him intently. Turning, he met a pair of dark orbs gazing up at him, before they quickly turned away in embarrassment. Flustering slightly, he realized there was one more person in the studio, someone with long, pink hair a shade darker than Lacus', sitting before a canvas that portrayed a dangerous, breathtaking version of Kira's girlfriend.

"Ehh, you're a painting major, huh?" Shinn asked kindly, popping up beside the stranger, bending low to inspect the canvas. Watching his fascination, Alex remembered that despite Shinn's propensity to resemble an experienced litigator, he _was_, technically, a trained designer. "This is pretty good stuff. Grotesque, yet elegant."

"B-bloody Valentine," the girl instinctively replied, holding her hands to her lips, inching slightly away from Shinn. "It's a commissioned painting."

"So you get commissioned to paint? You're allowed to accept projects outside school?"

"Yes, but only talented students like Meyrin-san are invited to paint for outsiders." Lacus Clyne had let her hands fall off Kira's shoulders, as the couple turned to smile at the others in the room. Alex blinked at Kira in disbelief, as the latter seemed to have transformed into a completely different person after meeting Lacus. Gone was the unassertive, shy teenager he had travelled with; in his place, a confident young man stood, together with the partner he would trust with his life.

"This is my girlfriend Lacus Clyne," Kira introduced for the benefit of his companions. "Lacus, these are Alex Dino and Shinn Asuka. We met a couple of days ago, and we travelled here together."

At Kira's words, Lacus smiled serenely at the two men. "This is my good friend, Meyrin Hawke," she said good-naturedly, gesturing toward the other young woman who nervously bowed at the newcomers. Her smile widening, she added, "You must be good friends of Kira's, to have accompanied him to such a distant place…" Gasping softly, Alex started as Lacus' calm gaze fell on him. He had believed her stare to be one of innocent curiosity, until she smiled at him brightly.

_Just as I thought._

"Actually, we're-"

"We've come to talk to you about the painting," Shinn interrupted unsurprisingly, meeting Lacus' mildly interested gaze with his steady one. It was the most serious expression Alex had ever seen on Shinn's face, and he was stunned at the sudden graveness of his usually carefree companion.

"Painting?" Lacus' painter friend voiced aloud in confusion. "Bloody Valentine?"

"Ah, hahahaha, no, no, not this painting," Shinn clarified, reverting to his old, lax self. As he looked back at Lacus, however, a smug grin on his face, his eyes flashed darkly, demanding honesty. "It's a painting of fluffy white clouds floating in a bright blue sky. An expansive painting in three panels. The total opposite of Bloody Valentine…"

Lacus' smile faded slightly, her good mood evaporating palpably. "You mean you're here for the painting as well?" she asked Kira in a low monotone, voice disturbingly devoid of emotion. "You didn't come here for me?"

"No! O-of course I came here for you!" Kira had retreated into the side of him that was prone to losing his composure. "But I also came here because I wanted to discover the truth for my friends' sake… For Alex-san's sake…"

He slowly turned to look at Alex, a small smile of encouragement on his face, a strangely proud glimmer in his eyes. From the side, Shinn forcefully thumped Alex's back over Meyrin's head, chuckling at the befuddled look on his friend's face. And when Alex finally got over himself, regaining his standard poker-face, he looked back at Lacus Clyne… and felt his mask slip.

She was considering him with blank blue eyes, neither appearing displeased nor welcoming. Her hands were limp at her sides, as though she had forgotten about them, as though she was thinking only of what she ought to do given the circumstances that had been posed before her. And as she blinked once, twice, her eyes reflecting a frozen Alex Dino, her carefully measured expression disintegrated into a face filled with resigned cheerfulness.

"You mean _Athrun's Sky_?"

XXX

Without bothering to knock, Lacus tried the bronze knob on the deep red door bearing the plaque _Simmons Reading Room. _As it opened noiselessly, she placed her distracting pale pink head through the gap, and called out to an unseen entity, "Excuse me. May we come in?"

Once again not bothering to wait for a reply, she nodded at the three people standing right behind her, urging them forward. Stepping in after Shinn, who walked in after Kira, Alex repressed the forbidding feeling that was welling in his chest, the bothersome lump that had planted itself in his throat after Lacus had told them to follow her…

She had not even said where they were going.

Beyond the door was a spacious, elegant room furnished primarily in wood, surrounded by imposing shelves stacked with leather-bound books. To one side was an empty fireplace, topped with trophies that sparkled in the sunlight. Opposite it was a bay window thrown wide open, its intricate lace curtains fluttering softly in the morning breeze.

A man with dark brown hair raised in spikes was sitting on the largest seat in the middle of the room, reading a heavy volume with a small smile on his face. A steaming mug had been placed on the table before him, and by the rich, earthy aroma that was enveloping the room, Alex guessed it contained spanking, exquisite coffee. Upon seeing the three boys standing before him, Lacus closing the door behind the party, he lowered his book and rifled through the newcomers with a level gaze. "Heh… Are you three supposed to be music majors?"

"My apologies for intruding, Waltfeld-sensei," Lacus explained, face apologetic as she walked forward. "These are my friends from Orb – Kira Yamato, Alex Dino, and Shinn Asuka. I was hoping I could show them something…"

The man named Waltfeld tapped his cheek, frowning slightly. To Alex, who waited with bated breath, he seemed neither intimidating nor approachable. Something about him inspired confidence, yet another aspect of his personality warned people to maintain a safe distance. Alex, for the second time that day, was stuck in frightened awe of authority.

"I suppose I'll just take this out then," Waltfeld said finally – Alex thought he heard Kira sigh in relief. "Don't forget to lock the room when you go out. They'll have my head if one of the Za Burrel scores disappears again."

"Of course, thank you, Waltfeld-sensei. I'll take care of things here."

He rose, the man with a paradoxical aura. Bearing his book, he walked across the room, oblivious to the strained silence afforded by his presence, draining his coffee. Acknowledging Lacus' low bow with a pleasant wave of his hand, he had already reached the door when he did a double take.

Steely eyes landed on Alex, and for the nth time, the latter thought back on whatever he was supposed to have done to elicit such a reaction from strangers. Tired of being stared at as though he was some lower life form whose existence was a bane to humanity, he actually opened his mouth, intent on asking what on Earth the matter was, when a voice interrupted his own.

"Alex-san." Lacus' voice sounded oddly loud in this suddenly suffocating room. "I want to show you something."

Waltfeld's eyes had flickered over to Lacus, Alex turning around swiftly in irritation. Both Kira and Shinn stood between the three, looking hopelessly lost as their senses prickled with the intensity of the gazes that were being volleyed past them. Lacus, for her part, stood her ground, and stared calmly at both Waltfeld and Alex. Then, shattering the awkward situation, she cocked her head to a side and said, "I really appreciate this, Waltfeld-sensei."

Kira openly blanched at the thought of his girlfriend going against her teacher; even the incorrigible Shinn turned a horrified face at the man who was lightly being pushed away. After a brief pause, however, Waltfeld merely grinned toothily at the pink-haired woman, who congenially smiled back at him. Waving his book in the air once more, he reminded her, "Lock up, okay?"

And he left without another glance at Alex.

Listening to his retreating footsteps in the corridor outside, the four of them stood frozen, staring at the shut door. "What…" Kira began hoarsely, hesitantly. "Lacus, what was that?"

She shook her head, lips sealed. "It'll be better to start from the beginning. Explaining in pieces won't work, not when I'm not too sure of the story myself."

Without waiting for anyone to follow her, she crossed the room, gingerly settling on the same seat Waltfeld had just left. "I told you, didn't I, that there was something I wanted to show you?"

"Well, yeah, that's why we followed you," Shinn replied, remarkably the calmest of the three. Urging his two friends forward, he plopped on the couch near Lacus, all ears. "I assumed there was some document you wanted to show us, an explanation of who made the painting and why."

Hearing this, Lacus fell into contemplative silence, her eyes turning glassy, her face hardening. Staring at the plain wood of the empty coffee table, ignoring the men who fell into the seats around her, hanging onto her every word, she said, "It all begins with one person."

Slowly lifting her gaze, she met Alex's questioning eyes head on. "My mentor, the one who worked out the Junius music scholarship for me, the one who painted _Athrun's Sky_, was a woman named Lenore Zala."

"Zala." There was no skip in his heartbeat, no pulsing in his veins. Instinctively, Alex's first thought was how familiar the name sounded. He was sure he had come across it before. "Lenore Zala… The first lady of PLANT?"

Lacus nodded slowly, expression unchanging. "I'm surprised you've even heard of her. Lenore-sama doesn't enjoy the spotlight; she disliked having anything to do with the media-"

"Which is why she's such a controversial figure," Alex argued, shaking his head slowly. "Her husband's been in control of this country for more than a decade, and we only hear of her from the sidelines… People are bound to talk."

"But wait, I thought she died about a month ago?" Shinn clarified, brows meeting. "I read about it somewhere – something about her death in the family villa-"

"The reports say she died of childbirth but," Lacus whispered, and Alex was shocked at the helplessness that invaded her features. "There's something seriously wrong about all this – _I just know there is-_"

"Lacus," Kira interrupted, falling on his knees to touch Lacus' clenched hands. "Why do you know all this? How can you be so sure? This is-"

"Because she changed so much." She turned to him, begging understanding, her eyes unnaturally bright. "She changed drastically in the month before she left – so much so that it worried me…"

"Why would she send me the painting?" Even to Alex's own ears, his voice sounded dull. Almost oblivious to Kira's frightened face turned toward him, Lacus' expression of forced calm as her gaze fell on him, he ignored Shinn's call for his name, and plowed on. "I don't even know her - I've never given her much thought before today – Why would she-?"

Blinking rapidly, Lacus tried to steady her hardened gaze. As her lips parted wordlessly, she suddenly bowed her head and closed her eyes, forehead compelled into concentration, as though she was willing her hesitation to fade away. Kira, immensely concerned, lost as though only he and Lacus existed, reached a hand out to touch her shoulder. "Lacus… You don't have to-"

"_What do you mean she doesn't have to?" _

Alex had risen to his feet, half-mad with anticipation, half-crazed by the desire to careen off the cliff that was keeping him away from the truth. After all the questions… didn't he have the right to understand the bizarre relationship he supposedly had with this woman? Didn't he have the right to demand satisfaction for everything he had given up to arrive at this threshold?

More so because… at the back of his mind, with the aftershock of every beat of his pounding heart, came the sinking feeling that he knew… exactly who she was.

Lacus Clyne, slowly opening her eyes, met his seething gaze with tranquility. As both of them ignored Kira, who had shakily stood up to place himself between Lacus and Alex, and Shinn, who was desperately pulling at Alex's sleeve, Lacus lifted a pale finger.

She pointed at something Alex couldn't see.

Turning around, Alex realized there had been an entire row of pictures put up on the wall high above him, almost touching the ceiling. They were of various men and women, the earlier ones in a faint, sepia hue, under each picture a plain white card bearing a name and a span of years.

"Who… are they?"

"Previous Chairpersons of the music department," came Lacus' quiet reply to Shinn's question. "The current Chairman is the person you just met, Andrew Waltfeld. The one he replaced was Lenore Zala… Her photo is the one at the end of the line."

Lacus need not have pointed out the picture to Alex, or to anyone else for that matter. The striking semblance between the beautiful woman in the photo and the teenager standing stock still in the middle of the reading room was beyond question. The same dark blue hair… identical emerald green eyes… a shared gentle, enigmatic expression…

Shinn had gotten to his feet. "Is she… your mother?"

With the same question in his mind, Alex slowly, desperately turned to Lacus. But her gaze merely fell. "I don't know."

Moved beyond words, Alex felt his body reacting on its own, slumping into the couch beneath him, his face falling into his waiting, curled hands. Somehow… he had known… somehow… that she was related to him by blood, that she was the key to the secret behind him… but he hadn't expected such an irrefutable confirmation! How else was he supposed to react, seeing a dead woman so much like himself immortalized on a photo on a wall, being told that she might or might not be the person who brought him to life?

"Alex-san…"

"Alex, get a hold of yourself-"

"_How can I?" _On any other occasion, under completely different circumstances, perhaps he would find the idea of him yelling his head off at Shinn laughable. Perhaps he would side with Kira, who was hopelessly attempting to talk him back to sanity – perhaps he would act like Lacus Clyne, who was merely staring at him with something akin to pity. Perhaps, had he been detached from himself, he would find his actions reprehensible, contemptible, almost embarrassing. But that was not the case here. He was on the other side – on the torn, suffering side of himself.

"Alex-san." He had expected her to say something long before this. "Alex-san, I don't know how you're related to Lenore-sama, as I only knew her for a short period of time-"

"Yeah, go ahead, rub it in," Alex retorted sarcastically, grinning, gunning down all restraints. "Why don't you just tell me outright that we've come to a dead end because _she's gone _-"

"– but I do know someone who might be able to answer your questions," Lacus continued, as though Alex had not fully given in to his anger. Kira and Shinn, overwhelmed but somewhat still sane, instantly turned to Lacus, as their companion froze at what she had said. "The few times that I took calls for Lenore-sama, there was one name that kept coming up…"

Raising his head, looking at Lacus, Alex saw her smile in encouragement. "Although he lives far away, and I'm still unfamiliar with PLANT, I'm pretty sure we can reach him by sundown. I can't promise you answers though – he might be able to tell us the circumstances of her death, but not those of your relationship with her-"

"I don't mind," Alex interrupted breathlessly, jumping to his feet. Any straw was worth grasping now, any lead. "I don't mind… As long as… there might be answers…"

Gauging his desperate expression – reading his over-bright eyes – Lacus rose to her feet, too, smiling peacefully as though she had not been humiliated or offended, as though no tense conversations had taken place around her recently. "Well, then. It's time to visit the family doctor." Frowning thoughtfully at her three guests, she politely inquired, "Unless any of you want to take a nap before we leave-?"

"_No!"_

"No, no, we're fine, thanks-"

"If it's all right with you-"

"Of course, just let me change," she requested. She was still wearing her costume for her modeling stint, and it gave her a slightly sinister aura that implied death and destruction. "I can't travel with this outfit, can I?"

They rose.

"So, this doctor…" Alex inquired as the four of them made for the door, suddenly bursting with questions, surprising even himself. In his haste to get answers, he had actually forgotten to be embarrassed around Lacus, whom he tormented, although she didn't seem to mind much. "What does he specialize in? Is he a cardiologist? A surgeon?"

"I'm not sure either," Lacus answered lightly, as Kira raced past her to get to the door first. "I've tried looking him up, but I just can't find his credentials. He's quite famous though, so you might have heard of him…"

Stepping past the door, turning around to address Alex directly, she said, "His name is Gilbert Durandal."

**A/N: **

Merry Christmas! ::D This chapter was a bit circular, but I felt some stuff were necessary. Things will get way, way, WAY more circular in future chapters - *insert evil laugh here*. _[26 December 2010] _

**Next:  
Chapter Six: The DNA Keeper**

Under Lacus Clyne's capable guidance, the trio heads to the infamous Gilbert Durandal's lair. Surprisingly, they are greeted warmly by the mysterious man of answers, as though he had been waiting for his impending meeting with the man bearing endless questions. In a question-and-answer portion of life-changing consequences, Alex discovers _everything _– and he is compelled to make a decision that will not only alter his life forever, but will also tip the balance cradling humanity.


	7. Chapter 6: The DNA Keeper

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Six: The DNA Keeper**

**A/N:**

_[26 December 2010] _In _Aeon Flux_, one of my favorite movies, there is an old man tasked to sort out good genes from bad ones in order to reproduce them. Although our Gil is hardly wrinkled and gray, I believe this title fits him perfectly, especially in this chapter. Read on to find out why. ::D

And the usual warning: Complicated chapter with tons of talk. I'm not sure I'll be able to explain everything clearly, but I'll do my best. ::D

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously:  
Chapter Five: A School of Arts**

_Lacus need not have pointed out the picture to Alex, or to anyone else for that matter. The striking semblance between the beautiful woman in the photo and the teenager standing stock still in the middle of the reading room was beyond question. The same dark blue hair… identical emerald green eyes… a shared gentle, enigmatic expression… _

_Shinn had gotten to his feet. "Is she… your mother?" _

_With the same question in his mind, Alex slowly, desperately turned to Lacus. But her gaze merely fell. "I don't know." _

**Chapter Six: The DNA Keeper**

_Sunday – 20:47 (PLANT) _

From across the imposing desk, the two of them stared each other down. Sitting almost leisurely on his swiveling seat, hands clasped gently before him, was a pale, sharp eyed man, long, dark hair draping elegantly across his shoulders. On the wall behind him, numerous framed certificates and medals were displayed, perhaps to convince guests that the man they faced was a person of integrity, a person worthy of trust. But something about Gilbert Durandal kept Alex Dino on edge. Was it the way the man had welcomed him, as though they were old friends?

"We apologize for disturbing you so late, Durandal-sensei," Lacus Clyne spoke from beside Alex – politely, gently, as her nature dictated. "Thank you for seeing us even on such short notice."

"It's no problem, Clyne-san," Durandal assured her with a smile. "I usually stay in the office until late evening, so it's no trouble at all."

Not altogether pacified, Lacus threw Alex a questioning glance. Behind them, Kira Yamato and Shinn Asuka stiffened, bracing themselves for the conversation that was about to take place…

"Durandal-sensei, my name is Alex Dino – I'm a citizen of Orb." Fighting to maintain his calm, Alex struggled to remember the next line of his speech. "A few weeks ago, I received a painting forwarded by an art gallery in Orb. Although the curators of the gallery kept the name of the sender from me, I was able to discover her identity. That's why I went to look for Lacus-san, as she had mailed the painting to me from PLANT…"

Looking at Lacus, who smiled at him encouragingly, Alex sighed quietly and continued.

"But when I talked to Lacus-san, she told me that the person who made the painting had already passed on. And when I saw the picture of Lenore Zala, I…"

Alex cursed himself inwardly. He was losing the order of his sentences, his emotions getting the better of him. On his lap, his joined hands twitched. "The truth is I don't know who my parents are. I don't know my origins, and frankly, I've never really cared much before now. After seeing Zala-san though, seeing the similarities between us, I began to wonder if she could be… related to me somehow…"

Raising his eyes, he directed as calm a look as he could muster to the man seated across him.

"Lacus-san told me you were Lenore Zala's doctor when she was still alive. I'm not hoping on the possibility of you knowing how I'm related to her, but I thought maybe you could tell us how she died? If you knew… could you?"

Alex Dino never begged. And this first time he had been cornered, he felt a sinking feeling in his chest, the bitter aftertaste of pleading. Beads of sweat forming on his temples, he silently watched the unchanging expression on Durandal's face. Had he gotten through to the man somehow? He had said everything he wanted to say, but getting the answers he needed still seemed a far cry from reality…

Durandal suddenly smiled. "Alex-kun. I could tell you everything you need to know. I would tell you willingly. However…" He turned an almost lazy eye on the other people in the room. "Are you sure you want to learn the truth with all these people present?"

Puzzled, Alex twisted in his seat. Kira and Shinn were looking back at him with mouths slightly open, the former looking particularly worried. Beside Alex, Lacus watched the others move with unfeeling eyes, a poker face flashed on her features. How disturbing was Durandal's explanation going to be, with him offering a chance to send Alex's comrades away?

"They deserve to learn the truth just as much as I do," Alex told the doctor in a low voice, gripping the arms of his chair with his cold hands. "I appreciate your consideration, Durandal-sensei, but really, diplomacy isn't what I need right now."

Holding Alex's gaze, Durandal let a few seconds of silence slip. Then, he sighed, and surprised them all by smiling. "Since apparently discretion isn't needed, I'll get down to the facts then." He trained a patient, slightly teasing smile on his guest, biding his sweet time. "Contrary to your expectations, Alex-kun, I _do_ know your relationship with the late Lenore-sama. The truth is… this is more of your story, not hers…"

Ignoring the confusion that gripped the four teenagers, Durandal scrunched his face in a thoughtful pout, raising a hand to cradle his chin as he stared at the white-washed ceiling. "Let's see… Where to begin? Hmmmm…" He exhaled deeply. "I believe the complications began when Lenore married Patrick Zala. Yes. That's most likely when it all started."

Lowering his eyes, frowning at a speechless Alex Dino, he explained, "It was quite a typical arrangement actually. He was the country's most eligible bachelor; she was an accomplished, beautiful woman much, much younger than him. Both of them had come from rich, influential families, and it was inevitable that they would get married someday. The problem was… I don't suppose anyone really expected Patrick Zala to become such a powerful figure. And from my perspective, I don't think Lenore gave much thought to Patrick's personality when she married him. Most likely, she thought he was as reliable as his outward appearance made him seem…"

Durandal smiled, eyes filled with nostalgia. "But she was wrong. We all were."

Bending to retrieve something beneath his desk, the doctor flashed Alex a faint smile. "I had just started working for a scientist named Ulen Hibiki when I met Patrick Zala for the first time. He was only engaged then, a fresh member of the Parliament, and it struck me as strange that he and Hibiki-hakase knew each other well when they had come from such different worlds."

From beneath the table, he produced a photo taken at a laboratory, a picture of a group of men gathered before a bronze plaque on a stone wall. Amidst the sea of distinguished men in white coats – among them a younger Gilbert Durandal – the formidable aura of Patrick Zala stood out. Dressed in a plain grey suit, he stood stern and imposing, the perfect contrast to the blond man opposite him, who wore a chilling smile of triumph. "I presume you're familiar with the Prime Minister," Durandal noted, smiling. "The scientist beside him was my boss, Ulen Hibiki."

With hesitant fingers and a questioning glance, Lacus moved forward to retrieve the proffered picture. Alex seemed to have frozen completely, the stoic mask on his face proof that he had no intention of playing games with Durandal, as the man was challenging him to.

"As I rose up the ranks in the laboratory, I quickly understood the circumstances of his relationship with Zala. The man was the main patron of Hibiki-hakase's work, and Zala basically supported the professor in whatever he wanted to study as long as he got what he wanted."

"And what did he want?" Shinn's unsteady croak asked from behind Alex.

"Children," Durandal replied unblinkingly. "He wanted children that would surpass all his expectations, children of the type the world had never seen before. He was tyrannical, and _mad_, and he forced Hibiki-hakase to alter human genes, to create a better, stronger race of humans."

"But that's against the law," Kira breathlessly pointed out. "Experimenting with humans is just-"

"You're forgetting this is Patrick Zala we're talking about," Durandal countered calmly. "That man, even then, had a different charisma around him, a strange ability to make others bend to his will. He had money, and he was building clout. If people were willing to cooperate with him, don't you think his wishes were highly plausible?"

Apparently satisfied with stunning Kira out of questions, Durandal continued. "Patrick Zala wanted genetically modified offspring, and he engaged Hibiki-hakase in experiments involving the 'children' Lenore conceived. The professor was only too happy to oblige, as he was a man who believe in science as the key to progress, a man who believed constant improvement was etched as mankind's destiny-"

"And Lenore-sama-" It was Lacus who interrupted this time. "Lenore-sama… let all this happen?"

Durandal focused on Lacus with a beady eye. "Frankly, she didn't know. Not at first. Even after failed deliveries and several miscarriages, she thought nature was to blame, she thought her body was at fault." A faint crease in his brows briefly marred the doctor's calm façade, before his tranquil expression returned. "I scarcely recall how we managed to keep it a secret from her, but she never discovered what we were doing until it was too late. Until she finally conceived with 90% chance of a success-"

The blood drained from Alex's face as Durandal smiled benignly at him. "Until she conceived you."

Resting a cheek on his pale hand, Durandal kept smiling, oblivious to the shifting mood in his office. "Your father was looking forward to your birth, you know. Your mother, too, before she found out your genes had been modified. I rarely saw her during the last months of her pregnancy, but from what Hibiki-hakase told me, she had been very disturbed about it…"

"As I would find out many, many years later, when you were born, Lenore-sama smuggled you out of PLANT, and left you in the care of a friend. She had always spoken highly of him, a powerful man who ruled over Orb… Uzumi Nara Athha," Durandal chuckled softly, "I had always believed she had romantic feelings for him, they way she talked."

"Durandal-sensei…" Alex hadn't noticed that Shinn had gotten to his feet. "Durandal-sensei, you're not a doctor, are you?"

A mild laugh, as Durandal glanced at Shinn with amusement. "No, no, I'm not. But will you let me finish my story? Let's see…"

"Lenore-sama couldn't divorce her husband, as it would endanger your escape," he pointed out, looking at Alex as though the two of them shared a secret. "So she merely drowned herself in a world completely separate from his, becoming absorbed in her work. And Patrick Zala, bless him, never knew what happened to his first son. He believed Lenore _completely_. Imagine, PLANT's most powerful politician, fooled by a mere woman!"

There it was again, the benign smile. "But we knew better, Hibiki-hakase and I. We knew you couldn't have died, that you had been born somehow. But we had no proof, and Zala had decided to move on with the plan as though nothing had happened-"

"So there are others out there?" Shinn asked, on the verge of panic. "Other...?"

"Unfortunately, an accident happened in Hibiki-hakase's lab. I don't suppose you've heard too much about it, as it was neatly covered up, but the casualties were great. Twenty-one scientists, including my mentor, two floors of the latest medical equipment, and records of the developments our company prided itself for."

But Durandal seemed hardly displeased.

"I was given Hibiki-hakase's former job, including his former projects. Of course, that included the plan for genetically modified humans – but the idiot never left backups anywhere else. Not even in his house, would you believe? And so it's taken almost two decades, some lies, and deception served on a silver platter to your unwitting mother to achieve the results we have now."

"Alex, this is madness," Shinn pleaded in a low voice. But the latter was too absorbed, too lost in Durandal's explanation that he felt nothing. "Alex…"

"It took two decades to fool Lenore-sama into conceiving again. Would you believe me if I told you your mother was the most troublesome woman I had ever met?" Yet Durandal smiled as he considered the resemblance Alex shared with Lenore. "I had to play the part of an innocent OB-Gyne, stand on tiptoes around your father, and the result was she was simply getting too old to carry safely. Long story short, we planted the SEED inside her, told her the truth too late, so that she conceded to bearing the child-"

"Why did it have to be her then?" Lacus, eyes bright, asked. "When you knew it would kill her, why did it have to be her, _of all people_?"

"I believe I did mention Patrick Zala and his pride-?"

"You tricked her," Kira accused in tone filled with hate, so much hate, everyone doubted it was him talking. "You fooled her, and you let her die-"

"What…"

All eyes turned to Alex as he spoke in a chilling monotone. His emerald eyes had glazed over into pulsing green orbs, his pale face even more bloodless than usual. Hands limp before him, his feet poised on their toes, he targeted his gaze at Durandal only, ignoring his friends' worry, oblivious to the errant throbbing in his veins. "What I am… exactly?"

"You are a Coordinator." Durandal's eyes probed Alex's face for a reaction. "The first Coordinator, the first human with genetically modified genes enhanced to make you stronger, faster, smarter than the average person. You are the son your father has always wanted. You are the result of what science has been toiling over all these years. And now that you're of age… now that all obstacles are about to be torn down… the world will see the future, and mankind will understand-"

"What do you mean all obstacles are about to be torn down?" Panic seized Alex as he read into Durandal's statement. "You mean my mother wasn't the last casualty?"

"I wonder… Aren't you supposed to be at home? With the Turnover Ceremony fast approaching…"

Shinn stepped backed swiftly, knocking his chair down in his haste. "How do you know that?"

"Alex-san-" Kira placed a trembling hand on Alex's shoulder. "Alex-san, we need to get back. We have to get there in time, or else-"

There were so many questions Alex wanted to ask, so many questions he needed answers to. But now was not the time. Not when Uzumi-sama, not when Cagalli…

_We have to get there in time-_

"Right… Let's go."

Lacus almost leapt from her seat. "We might get to the airport in time for the last flight. If we hurry…"

The four of them rushed for the door, not a few glances aimed at Durandal's direction. As Shinn's hand grasped the knob, Kira and Lacus right behind him, a soft voice called for an alien name.

"_Athrun."_

By instinct, Alex spun around, frenzied eyes meeting Durandal's peaceful ones. The doctor had not moved from his position by the desk, his hands clasped once more in front of him, a pensive smile on his face. "Athrun," he called out again. "You are the completion of mankind's dreams…"

"You do realize that, don't you?"

A heavy silence lingered in the air, Gilbert Durandal slowly leaning against his cushioned swiveling seat. The name – _Athrun _– played on the tip of Alex's tongue, waiting to be spoken, wanting to be recognized. But Kira, for the second time that evening, pulled at his friend's shoulder…

"Alex." The honorific dropped was enough to grab the man's attention. "Alex. We should go."

And with a final fleeting glance, a wavering resolve, Alex Dino walked away from answers.

**A/N: **

Viva melodrama! Racing for my deadline makes things crazier than usual!

I _deliberately _didn't explain everything – because in the plot, there's not much time for this scene – so even if you, dear reader, understand just one or two things from this chapter, that'll do. _[28 December 2010] _

**Next: **

**Chapter Seven: On the Offensive**

The infamous trio – with a certain pink-haired songstress – races back to Orb in time to disturb morning tea in the Residence. A much-anticipated meeting, a tense reunion, as the powers of two states converge in one mansion, as the ultimate experiment is unveiled.


	8. Chapter 7: On The Offensive

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Seven: On the Offensive**

**A/N:**

_[17 January 2011] _Hello! ::D I had fun writing this, esp. Cagalli in the *unnecessary, ehem, useless, ehem* intro of this chapter. She might have gone completely OOC, but I thought it was a good laugh. Besides, Cagalli _was _sort of impertinent before the War… Okay, maybe not impertinent. I think _rude_'s more like it. ::)

I'd like to say [hello!] to **leyax**, **28**, **flutter **and **moi**! Thanks for the reviews! I'll do my best to keep you happy. ::D Anyway, I'll be uploading just this one chapter on its lonesome, and then I'll upload the last three chapters together – so no cliffies. ::D This is the penultimate stretch guys! Hope you enjoy it!

PS I just discovered you can view this on in ½. I highly suggest you do so, because it's prettier that way – looks more like how I formatted it in MSWord. ::D

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously:**

**Chapter Six: The DNA Keeper**

"_What…" _

_All eyes turned to Alex as he spoke in a chilling monotone. His emerald eyes had glazed over into pulsing green orbs, his pale face even more bloodless than usual. Hands limp before him, his feet poised on their toes, he targeted his gaze at Durandal only, ignoring his friends' worry, oblivious to the errant throbbing in his veins. "What I am… exactly?"_

"_You are a Coordinator." Durandal's eyes probed Alex's face for a reaction. "The first Coordinator, the first human with genetically modified genes enhanced to make you stronger, faster, smarter than the average person. You are the son your father has always wanted. You are the result of what science has been toiling over all these years. And now that you're of age… now that all obstacles are about to be torn down… " _

**Chapter Seven: On the Offensive**

_Monday – 05:21 (Orb) _

Dawn in the Residence meant the Sovereign's early morning tea, the Princess waiting with him for the sun to rise. Rain or shine, they would sit around their favorite table on the East Wing balcony, the one that overlooked the sloping side of the city, and ponder on whatever new headache the day had to offer both of them. But today, a singularly important day at that, the ten-year old ritual had been crushed by the arrival of a most unwelcome visitor, a powerful man whose sudden request for a one-on-one discussion could not be denied so bluntly.

Uzumi Nara Athha, strained smile in place, had welcomed the guest as graciously as his disposition allowed, silently thanking the heavens a certain someone was not home. His daughter, the impetuous future Sovereign, Cagalli Yula Attha, was not in so gracious a mood, resolving not to smile for the rest of the morning. But when her father, with a heavy hand and a plastered half-smile, had bossily shooed her away, she curtsied most irritably, stalked to the waiting room right beside the balcony, and demanded that a glass of wine be brought to soothe her frayed nerves.

And finally, _finally_, after she was done hawing and hamming and plain getting mad, she noticed the bundle of white in front of her, caught sight of its small face, and had thought it looked familiar. Thus, while waiting for her father to emerge from his secret, unplanned meeting and explain his earlier behavior, she contented herself with staring at this baby, trying to place where she had seen its likeness before…

Gently swinging her leg, Cagalli surveyed the child in the arms of its pale, rose-haired nanny. Why, she wondered, was the infant even out here this early in the morning, when it could have been left behind in the country it had come from? And why, she wondered yet again, a deep frown on her face this time, were there too many bodyguards around it? Three, in fact, as opposed to the sole guard its father had by his side. What was so special – or sinister – about this child that even its nanny seemed reluctant to hold it close?

A maid clad in a frilly pink uniform suddenly popped up by Cagalli's shoulder, bent low as though to speak to her. Being especially impatient today, Cagalli cut in before the maid could even open her mouth properly. "Where is my wine?"

"Um. Milady-"

Cagalli frowned, surveying the maid beside her. Belatedly, she realized the frilly pink something she thought was a uniform was _not, _in fact, a uniform of the household staff. Looking up to meet a pair of deep, tranquil blue eyes, Cagalli, frowning, inquired, "Are you new?"

"No, Milady, I'm-"

"I didn't know Maman was allowing civilian clothing now."

"Well, Milady, it's-"

"No, no, no, you mustn't misunderstand. I'm not criticizing you – in fact, I believe the diversity will do this place well. It's certainly a change, what will all these white walls," she finished, muttering. Then, perking up again, she added, "What's your name?"

"Lacus, Milady."

"Lacus, do you mind getting something for Miss-" At this Cagalli paused and turned to the pink-haired nanny who, all this time, had been sitting silently across the coffee table.

"Flay, Your Highness," came the confident, almost challenging reply. "Flay Allster-"

"Miss Allster and her associates," Cagalli plowed on, never mind that the maid was looking more amused by the second. "And what might we get for the baby, Miss Allster?"

"Nothing, thank you," smiled Flay. Cagalli was seriously starting to think there was something odd about her guest. "His Excellency, Prime Minister Zala, permits nothing but special formula for Athrun."

"Of course." Yet again, another suspicious obsession. "That will be all then – thank you, Lacus," Cagalli concluded with a sunny smile. "And thank you for remembering that Father has banned me from liquor for the next 24 hours." She grinned wider. "I'll have to admit I was sorely tempted to-"

"Actually, Milady, I came to deliver a message," said the maid, looking very sincere and speaking very slowly, as though she refused to compromise her delivery. "I have been sent to tell you that your _Panda_ has arrived, and he is now waiting for you _in Hawaii_."

"Er–" Did she mean _Alex_ had come home from PLANT and was demanding to speak to her inside _Heine's room_? If the message was true, it was indeed the strangest request Alex had made from her, including the time he made her capture some Brazilian frogs in the Herb Garden. "Well then… You may lead the way… Lacus."

Turning to her pseudo-guests, Cagalli mustered what she hoped was an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I really must attend to my panda. He can be _very _hormonal at times…"

"It's perfectly all right, Your Highness." Flay Allster seemed pleased that the Princess was about to take her leave. "Animals are no better than babies. _Always so clingy. _Although pandas _do_ have the advantage of having all that fur-"

Struggling to maintain a straight face, Cagalli rose. "Yes, I suppose they _do _have that advantage." Dipping her head slightly – a gesture that was reciprocated – she slowly began to move across the room. "Pandas truly _are _adorable – aren't they?"

XXXX

They came to a stop in front of Heine Westenfluss' nondescript mahogany door, Lacus Clyne smiling at the Princess as she urged the other woman forward. Smiling softly, still confused, Cagalli Yula Athha noiselessly waltzed into the tiny studio, surprised to find four men already settled within the cramped space, their faces turned toward her.

Alex Dino was standing with his hands on the bay window, the curtains thrown open to let the chilly morning breeze in. Straightening up as Cagalli entered the room, he gave her a brief, tired smile – the same standard one he involuntarily presented when he was hiding something big. Heine Westenfluss, whose orange hair was hard to ignore, stood closest to the threshold, his bright red floral print shirt doing nothing to lift the palpable tension in the room. Two college age kids with almost identical brown hair styled in spikes were seated in military-style high-backed chairs, their eyes round as Lacus closed the door behind all of them.

Ignoring one of the strangers who quickly got to his feet to acknowledge her presence, Cagalli asked, "What's going on?"

"Precisely my question," Heine interrupted, gesturing forcefully to prove his point. "Alex, explain yourself-"

"What? You mean you're not in on this?"

"Of course not! I was watching the monitors when I saw _Alex_ usher these strangers inside the compound a few minutes ago. Fortunately, everyone else was slacking off or out on the grounds, so-"

"Heine, Cagalli-" Alex cut in with an almost lazy voice. "There are my friends Kira Yamato-" The twin with purple eyes smiled tentatively. "Shinn Asuka-" The other twin raised a hand briefly. "And Lacus Clyne-" The maid with the long pink hair bowed slightly. "If you're going to ask how the three of us met, you're only going to be wasting time, as I'm going to be telling you about that in a few minutes anyway-"

"Okay, _okay._" Cagalli could feel one of Alex's rare, long-winded stories brewing behind his troubled expression. Plopping with a soft bounce on what seemed to be Heine's bed – judging by the pinstriped pineapple bed sheets – she gave Alex a small nod to show she was listening. "Go on."

"Right." Cagalli thought she saw Alex throw a questioning gaze at the twins, before nodding slightly to himself and clutching the edge of the window. "Well then, to begin…"

XXXX

Cagalli bit her lip. _It's absurd, and yet – this is Alex we're talking about… _

"So you're telling me… you're Patrick Zala's son?"

Alex's face remained placid. "Yes."

"And you're a…" She raised a hand to touch her aching head. "A _Coordinator_?"

"Yes…"

"Then that… little kid with the Minister is a Coordinator, too?"

"_Yes." _

Straightening up, Cagalli let loose a deep, almost panicked sigh, oblivious to Heine's low wolf-whistle. Less than hour ago, she had gotten out of bed with the simple worry of not being good enough to serve her country. But now, in this Spartan bachelor pad, in the wee hours of the morning, she had heard the most bizarre history she had ever come across in her life. More unbelievable still was the speed at which developments were taking place, the speed at which hidden pasts were being unraveled.

_To think_ – Cagalli muttered inwardly, allowing herself the luxury of losing composure, of slipping her face into her hands – _Alex has finally found his family…_

"He's planning to tell the world about this, isn't he?" Heine's voice sounded oddly muffled, with Cagalli's fingers raised over her head. "This is too deliberate to be kept secret."

"We're thinking maybe not now," answered the soft-spoken Kira. "Perhaps… maybe when the child's a bit older-"

"Did you say your name's Athrun?" Cagalli's head whipped up suddenly, her eyes instantly finding Alex's averted face. "Your birth name, I mean…"

Hesitant, Alex nodded slowly.

_So it is, _Cagalli thought, pain marked on her face. "That kid's name is Athrun, too…"

At her words, the six in the room lapsed into a pregnant silence. Each thinking about the consequences of their discoveries… Each thinking how strange it was that a single man's dream could tip the balance of the world.

Suddenly, Lacus spoke.

"What I don't understand is why he's doing all this," she wondered aloud. "What's there to be gained, when there's so much to be lost?"

"Power. Domination." Alex had started pacing, his back to the others._ "He's a madman, Patrick Zala."_ Apparently disgusted both at the emotion in his voice and at the object of his hate, Alex scoffed and shook his head. "If this gets out, he will..."

Standing by the window, arms on the wooden frame, he ceased speaking abruptly, lapsing into isolated silence again.

"So what's the plan?"

Heine looked from Kira to Shinn and back again. Frowning slightly, Shinn turned to Cagalli and asked, "Is the Minister staying here, Princess-?"

"_Please,_ refrain from calling me Princess," Cagalli almost groaned. "We're equals in this undertaking, and I won't be having your misplaced politeness." She sighed. "And to answer your question, I don't know if Zala's staying here. God knows Father will do his best to send him away, but given what you've told me about the man…"

Alex jumped back to life, turning his comrades. "We have to move before he does. We don't know what he's planning, but we have to keep things secret until after the Turnover Ceremony. We can't have Orb in a state of panic – not today." To his friends, who listened with rapt attention, Alex said, "Shinn and I will stand guard around Zala; Lacus and Kira will take care of the baby."

Almost afraid to look into Cagalli's eyes, he requested, "Cagalli, please talk to your Father and tell him… Tell him I know."

Scratching his nape in obvious discomfort, Shinn looked away as he asked the question that had been playing in everyone's heads. "What happens after tonight then?"

Alex paused, staring at a point above Cagalli's left shoulder. He seemed even quieter than usual – and despite the tranquil quality on his smooth, even features, Cagalli could tell he was desperately fighting an internal battle. "I don't know. We'll think about that when the circumstances require us to…"

He shifted his gaze, and Cagalli chose to contemplate the frailty of her hands, the polished tips of her fingernails – anything other than this rare show of vulnerability. Kira and Shinn exchanged a brief glance of somber undertones, and Lacus seemed suddenly preoccupied with nostalgia as she stared at the floor. Heine, sensing the deeper shift of the atmosphere, faked a cough.

"What about me?"

Alex turned to Heine, brows furrowing. "What about you?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing," Alex shrugged. "You're not in on this. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time-"

"Oh, don't give me that crap argument," Heine refuted. "Did you really think I could listen to all that and be content with doing nothing?"

"Well, you're not in a position to bargain, really-"

"This coming from the fugitive who disobeyed his own sworn oath-"

"Oh shush, the both of you." Cagalli rose, ruffling her hair, disgruntled. "There's no time to waste with petty arguments. Heine, you just… _keep doing_ what you're doing. Watch out for signs of anything abnormal-"

"But, Cagalli-!"

"_That_," the Princess growled, "is an order."

Looking mutinous as Cagalli began to move, Heine ignored the smirk on Shinn's face and muttered, "Whatever happened to equality in combat?"

To Alex's immense surprise, Cagalli came to a hesitant stop right in front of him. Upon sensing their most revealing proximity, the closest they had ever come in the presence of other people, he began a muffled protest. "Wha-"

"Be safe," Cagalli preempted, staring at one of the buttons on Alex's shirt. "Don't die on me."

When she raised her eyes, his cheeks were already burning, his neck warm and feverish. Sensing his discomfort, Cagalli instantly became aware of the four pairs of eyes that were upon the two of them – half were filled with understanding, the other two caught in pre-eye roll as if to say _I told you so_. Clearing her throat self-consciously, her own face reddening, Cagalli gingerly raised a hand and patted her friend's shoulder.

She deliberately ignored how warm his body was.

"_Soooo_… Come back in one piece, okay?" Pat, pat, pat. "I still have to beat you at Chess – you can't dodge your way out of that."

And there it was – the slick grin. "You're saying that even after we learned of my advantage?"

Already halfway across the room, she looked back and gave him a wistful smile. "I really don't think you're any different now, you know. You may have found out some things, but it doesn't change who you really are."

As she slowly walked back to the East Wing balcony, however, pondering on the absurdity of the situation, Cagalli Yula Athha realized how skewed her statement was.

XXXX

"Are you sure they're gonna be all right?" Shinn Asuka inquired, jogging slightly to keep pace with Alex Dino's stride. "It's just Cagalli and Heine left in there, and they're not even working on the same mission-"

"Cagalli can't be missing from the Turnover preparations," Alex replied, distracted as he scanned the empty alley south of the Residence walls. "And if Heine does anything out of the ordinary, it will only attract suspicion to what he's up to – That's the best place for them to stay-"

"But I don't understand why we have to split," Kira Yamato piped up, worried. He brought up the rear, with Lacus Clyne's hand in his. "From what Cagalli-sama told us, the Minister isn't keen on separating himself from the baby-"

"Four people together are too conspicuous," Alex said, reflexively dodging a cat jumping out of a garbage can. Pointedly looking away from Shinn, who had jumped and was now clutching his chest, he continued, "Pairs are already obvious enough, as it is…"

But as he surreptitiously watched Kira give Lacus's pale hand a small squeeze, watched Shinn exhale and blink alternately, he knew he couldn't risk their lives without strategy. To stalk Patrick Zala and his son was suicide; to stalk them alone was stupidity.

Just as the four of them emerged from the mouth of the dark, dank city alley, a black limousine pulled up on the street in front of them. Throwing out an arm, Alex pushed the nearest person backward and ordered in a low voice, "_Shinn…_ When I say run, turn around and go back the way we came from-"

Before Alex could barely finish talking, however, a group of identically clad men in dark suits and long guns emerged from the limousine, striding purposefully towards the group that had been thrown unprepared into action. As one, the four turned around the way they had come from, only to discover that two other guards had been walking in their direction unnoticed, their slightly less distracting guns no less alarming.

"_Alex-" _

The men pushed close, holding out their weapons to separate Alex from his friends with ease. Blood running cold, Alex could only watch Shinn and the others being bullied into backing away: Lacus was clutching Kira's bloodless arm – Shinn clenching his fists, a feral, unseeing glare in his crimson eyes. And Kira, mouthing repeatedly, incoherently-

"_No, don't- Alex-" _

Their panicked faces were the last image in Alex's mind as he struggled with a blindfold that was pulled over his eyes, plunging his world into an animated darkness. Sounds of a brief scuffle, grunts, the sharp intake of breath, and Alex felt himself being pushed roughly, incessantly, until he hit a large, shapeless mass.

As a hand pushed his head down, forcing him into what he conjectured was the car, he could hear the last few signs of an ensuing fight. Feet clad in heels were sprinting down asphalt, men were grunting heavily, and there was the dull thud of a fist hitting skin. Someone was heaving – _Get her! _– and Alex was uncomfortably pushed into plush leather seats when a gunshot broke the morning.

Without pausing to take stock of the event, a body pushed itself next to Alex, ignoring his painfully awkward position. Straining his ears, still struggling, Alex heard a hoarse voice – Kira's voice – shouting into the strained aftermath a single name.

"_Shinn!" _

The sharp sound of the car closing, the shuffling of bodies in the front compartment, and the low insistent command: _"Drive." _

**A/N:**

OOOH. Action is pretty exciting to write, too! *rubs hands scheming leprechaun-style* What did you think of all that tension? Pulse racing phrases, or just eye-aching mush? ;;D Again, [hello!] to **flutter **and **moi**! Thanks for all the regular reviews, and I'm sorry for not being able to reply. ::(

So anyway, I'm splitting what should have been the last chapter into two parts. I want to give fitting attention to the next chapter, especially. I'm already psyching myself not to overdo it, although I'm seriously convinced I'll fail at _that_. But anyway, I hope we see each other in the final stretch! ::D _[19 January 2011 – Happy Birthday, T!] _

**Next:**

**Chapter Eight: Black Hole**

Upon meeting the Prime Antagonist, Alex Dino is crestfallen when he realizes how empty he feels at having no family. In a conversation of invitations, of recollections, of _what ifs_, decisions are arrived at, and relationships are severed for a subjective conclusion of what ought to be.


	9. Chapter 8: Black Hole

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Eight: Black Hole**

**A/N: **

_[27 January 2011] _This is actually the second version of the chapter you are about to read. The first one gave too off a characterization of a certain Father Figure, and frankly, I don't think this new version gives him justice either. Still, I hope it pleases you somehow, as I sincerely gave it my best shot. [I even tried reading tips on characterization, only they didn't sink in fast enough.] ::D

Thank you for making it this far into this twisted little story. I truly appreciate it. ::) [Sorry, though, 'cause this was written rather haphazardly.]

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously: **

**Chapter Seven: On the Offensive**

_Without pausing to take stock of the event, a body pushed itself next to Alex, ignoring his painfully awkward position. Straining his ears, still struggling, Alex heard a hoarse voice – Kira's voice – shouting into the strained aftermath a single name. _

"Shinn!"

_The sharp sound of the car closing, the shuffling of bodies in the front compartment, and the low insistent command: _"Drive."

**Chapter Eight: Black Hole**

_Monday – 07:40 _

He tried not to make a sound as the blindfold was torn from his eyes, as his senses were assailed by myriad new sensations none too refreshing. Ignoring the dull pain in his neck, the moisture building on the tips of his eyelids, he inclined his head to the direction of a hushed conversation, a huddle of shapeless shadows floating by his side. A few minutes, a few seconds – and he heard the click of footsteps against a wooden floor, the sound of a door opening, then closing just as quickly, just as unobtrusively.

A man, perhaps sensing him struggle, paused to watch him, paused to consider him. And as Alex Dino blinked back against the sunlight flooding into the room from behind the blurred figure, it moved, and with one languid sweep pulled the curtains to a close.

The darkness did not calm the frantic drumming of his heart.

He could see more clearly now, the blur taking definitive shape as it came ever closer. The man seemed to be in his mid-50s, with fading streaks of once-fair hair and a presence that commanded silence. As he reached out for the cloth that bound the younger man's mouth, Alex attempted to resist, pushing against the unyielding back of his chair. Pale steel eyes snapped up almost instantly, neither reprimanding nor reproaching, but enough to cause unsaid protests to die in Alex's throat.

Both frozen into a tense calm, the two men held their locked gazes long enough for the cloth to fall from one's face. Seeing himself regarded with such suspicion, with such distrust, the other almost smiled. "You look very much like your mother. You have her hair, her eyes, and almost nothing from me…"

Patrick Zala turned on his heel and slowly walked away, his son bound to a wooden chair, stunned confusion etched on his face.

"I would assume you know of me, but not of my reason for taking you here." He sat opposite Alex, on a simple couch frayed at the edges, the brown making way for a shade less appealing. "I would apologize for not coming sooner, but as things stand I had better start from the beginning-"

"Don't bother."

Zala glanced up from his joined hands, seeing his son's pale face looking back at him, unseeing. "I said don't bother," Alex repeated, his voice a hoarse whisper. "I already know everything. Durandal told me…"

A beat of silence passed as Zala considered the statement. With a faint rustle as he moved to straighten up, his eyes never leaving Alex, the Minister exhaled. "Frankly, I'm surprised you know what you are. I wasn't even aware you were alive until a few weeks ago…"

His voice trailed off as he saw the younger man's gaze shift. "Why did you make me a Coordinator?" Alex asked suddenly, fighting to maintain a semblance of calm as he glared away from his father. "You had all the opportunities to live a good life, yet you chose to do this to your children, to your wife. I… _don't understand_…"

"Why?" Zala repeated, emotionless, more to himself than to anyone else in particular. Pondering the question, he leaned forward, pressing his face against his pale hands intertwined in an imitation of prayer. In the darkness of the room, Alex could barely see the color of his eyes, yet he could perceive very clearly the strange glint that was reflected in them. "Why, you ask…"

The Minister sighed a second time, shifting, his feet almost grating against the polished floor. "Tell me, Athrun," the son started at the sound of the name, "what makes a man immortal?"

Alex narrowed his eyes, wary of the question. What did Zala mean? Was he speaking of immortality in a literal sense – never-ending life, never-ending existence? Was the man so far past the threshold of sanity that he was actually considering the impossible? Or did he mean immortal in the figurative sense – one's name engraved in the annals of history?

_Don't tell me he-?_

"What makes a man immortal?" Zala continued, clapping once impatiently, a drill sergeant before an unwilling new recruit. "What enables a man to change the world?"

To Alex's surprise, the older man seemed amused, his head tilted slightly to see his son better. "I've found… that it isn't power, it isn't skill, and _it most certainly is not money_." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I used to think it was audacity, ambition, but I know better now…"

He raised his head, met his son's bewildered eyes, and held them with a faint smile – the first true smile Alex had ever seen on his stoic, rigid face. "One's life is dictated by one's destiny," he declared in earnest. "Greatness, excellence – these are predestined. They are recorded in one's fate, by factors and people outside the control of individuals yet to be born. It is up to one's forebears to decide on the destiny of future generations…"

The Minister smiled, almost smugly, eyes slightly misted. "My father wrote an ambitious future for me, a plan for his son to change the world. But I have written in your destiny a history more significant than mine… more significant than that of anyone who has yet lived…"

"Immortality, Son, is what I have written for you."

A pause. Time seemed to spin. He could only hear his own breathing, the ragged sound of someone gasping softly, fighting to keep control of himself…

"What?"

The Minister suddenly stood up, hitting his knees as he forced his face away. "No matter how hard one tries, if greatness is not in one's destiny, the effort will not count." He walked to the window, hands behind his back, and stopped before the closed curtains, watching the heavy folds of the dark material. "Success is predetermined – it is written in one's Fate. Which is why I have taken control of the matter; _I have written you a future_…"

He turned to his son, face once again serious. "You are the first of a new breed of humans, Athrun. You are the pioneer of your generation, and no one will ever forget your name." His hands fell to his sides, as he continued to stare at his son passively, almost sadly. "_You are the completion of mankind's dream_ – surely you realize that? There is, inside you, that distinct quality that no one else has, no one else possesses-"

"But I have a brother?" He hadn't realized he had spoken – the words came out on their own.

"The two of you are different," Zala said, slowly shaking his head. "Your genes were engineered differently, and even then, you are two different people…"

A bead of sweat trickled down Alex's temple – he sat shell-shocked, incapable of accepting what he was hearing. "I… I never asked you to make me a Coordinator… _I didn't want any of this_-"

"It is something I have planned for you." Zala was moving forward, steps gliding, expression unchanging. "How can you complain? You are destined to change the world – _all you have to do is take the chance_-" 

"_I don't want to change the world _- I just want to have a normal life, and you-!"

"If you refuse to use your skills, your mother's sacrifice would have been in vain." He was directly in front of Alex now, looking down at the son so different yet so similar to himself. Alex was merely staring back at him, his bound arms limp, his fists bloodless. "Think of all those who had to die for you to be born. Your mother, your brothers – is this how you repay them? Juvenile insubordination?"

The Minister bent to a crouch, sought to level himself with the younger man's lowered, glazed gaze. "Perhaps it was selfish of me to do this for you," he began, voice softer, more compassionate than Alex ever imagined. "But I only did it because it was best – not for me, not for your mother, but for _you_-"

He raised a hand – slowly, almost hesitantly, placing it on Alex's knee. "This isn't for me, Athrun… This is for you…"

Alex could only stare.

A sudden insistent knock on the door brought both back to their senses. They jumped, jolted out of a reverie where only the two of them lived in this world, where they talked with their eyes – where minds were connected and the intention to communicate was not needed. Alex, without realizing it, had been covered in a layer of heavy sweat, his tension palpable. The Minister, distracted, glared at the door, and straightened up most unwillingly as he gave the order for the intruder to enter.

A man clad in black entered the room in a rush, locking the door behind him. "Minister, they have found us. They are coming."

The son shot an inquiring glance at his father, whose face darkened, lips pursed. "What does he-?"

"Has our escape been secured?"

"Yes, Sir. We're only waiting for you."

"Good. Where is my son?"

"Sir, we have been unable to secure him, Sir-"

A curse. "Never mind, we'll get him back someday."

As the Minister turned to Alex, he sensed the sudden change in Patrick Zala. Gone was the paternal aura, the feel of dark warmth and security that had drawn Alex to the man he swore to detest - this stone of intelligent, emotionless eyes and his father's face had taken over. Zala opened his mouth, meaning to say something, but at the last minute, his eyes clouded over, and he averted his gaze.

"When you are ready," he whispered, "return to PLANT, where you belong. Live the life you are meant to live." For the briefest second, as he risked one last look at Alex, an odd, closed emotion flashed across his pale steel eyes. "Whatever happens, you are still my son. Nothing matters more than that."

"_Wait, I-!" _

There was still so much Alex wanted to ask the man. There was still so much he wanted to hear. He didn't know what had taken him in, what had made him forget – all he knew was that he might never see Patrick Zala again, and for some reason… the thought upset him.

The guard pulled the heavy curtains back. Sunlight flooded into the room – the sun was higher up in the sky now. As the windows were thrown open, the sound of downtown traffic wafted up, deep, into the tiny, disheveled room where Alex sat. The noise of cars, mindless chatter, brisk footsteps on concrete – and a guard, whispering to Patrick Zala instructions for their escape. With a curt nod, the Minister acknowledged that he understood, and without a last look at the son he was leaving behind, he crept out the window, his guard right behind him.

Through the nondescript wooden door, Alex Dino heard the sound of men barreling down the hallway, shouting his name. But he did not make a sound.

**A/N:**

There! Most difficult chapter finally done! Everything will be smooth sailing now – the end is near. ::) Hello again to **flutter **and **moi**! Thank you for your patience! ::D

PS **moi**, hello! ::D I don't know how to reply to you in private, so I'll attempt to talk to you here. ::D There seems to be a disjoint in the story – a sudden break in the continuity – because I like to treat each chapter as if it's telling a different story, and I try to write each chapter as if it's a one-shot. I realize it makes things difficult to follow, but I decided I kind of like it. ::) I really suck at writing transitions anyway, so… haha! [PS There's an even greater gap between this chap and the next.]

**flutter**, hallo! ::D The baby is Alex's younger brother – you know, the second Coordinator, the one whose genes were engineered by Durandal. He's the baby Lenore died giving birth to, and he's highly guarded because… well, because he's special? 0.o _[28 January 2011] _

**Next: **

**Chapter Nine: The Impatience of Time and Circumstance**

The government of Orb falls into chaos after the wreckage Patrick Zala has brought to their soil. Alex Dino, ever apologetic, feels it is his responsibility to make things right, although the damage has been done. As diplomatic relations between the two powerful countries are strained, the world takes sides, and the seeds of discord emerge.


	10. Chapter 9: The Impatience of

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Chapter Nine: The Impatience of Time and Circumstance **

**A/N:**

_[2 February 2011] _The last chapter, finally up! ::D Not the end yet, though. The usual warning: Tons of talk, very little action – generally unremarkable chapter. ::)

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for reading _FAD! _

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Previously:  
Chapter Eight: Black Hole**

_The Minister bent to a crouch, sought to level himself with the younger man's lowered, glazed gaze. "Perhaps it was selfish of me to do this for you," he began, voice softer, more compassionate than Alex ever imagined. "But I only did it because it was best – not for me, not for your mother, but for _you-"

_He raised a hand – slowly, almost hesitantly, placing it on Alex's knee. "This isn't for me, Athrun… This is for you…"_

_Alex could only stare. _

**Chapter Nine: The Impatience of Time and Circumstance**

_Monday – 11:56 _

"The latest report from the Navy confirms that Patrick Zala has escaped via the Onogoro port-"

Assistant Junior Defense Secretary Tolle Koenig looked up from the documents in his hand, peering at the Orb Sovereign over the edge of the sheets. Uzumi Nara Athha sat on the far end of the conference table, expression somber, eyebrows meeting. Seated around him were the highest-ranking members of the national cabinet, his daughter Princess Cagalli Yula Athha to his immediate right, none of them particularly happy. To complete the image of stifled chaos in the face of a massive catastrophe, the entire conference room of the Residence was packed with other government officials standing at attention with worried faces, rigid hands. Sighing inwardly, Tolle returned to his papers – there would be no good news to report this morning.

"Due to the presence of a foreign dignitary, there was hardly any gunfire – because the two sides were reluctant to shoot," he gestured, immediately feeling stupid for describing the obvious. "There _are_ casualties, yes – two from our side and five from Minister Zala's personal guard – but altogether, the confrontation was minimal-"

"They shot first, so we shot them back," the Interior Secretary reminded the table. "Up until Onogoro, our forces were concentrating on subduing them, not attacking them-"

"Nevertheless, due to diplomatic immunity, Patrick Zala has escaped," the Justice Secretary cut in. "There is no point denying that…"

As the meeting ended abruptly, the Cabinet members rising to corral the fiasco, Alex Dino shut his eyes, pained. He lurked on the corner of the room right next to the door, his friends and the Sovereign's private guard right beside him, discussing the unimaginable events of the day. _Patrick Zala demanding an early morning meeting – Patrick Zala kidnapping Alex Dino – Patrick Zala leaving his son behind! _Alex ducked his head and forced the voices out. He would not listen. He didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear anything about Patrick Zala – _Patrick Zala_ – right now…

"There will be repercussions." The rich baritone of Ledonir Kisaka was impossible to ignore. "The blood of PLANT soldiers has been spilled on our soil-"

"Will we go to war?" Shinn Asuka asked.

There was a pause, and Alex could almost see Kisaka pondering the question. "I'm sure we will do our best to avoid that. But if war is what Patrick Zala wants-"

"Then war is what he will get."

Alex's head shot up as the Sovereign of Orb approached. He stood straight, chin high, but it was apparent how severely the developments were affecting him. There was a certain strained quality in his eyes, a resignation people seldom saw on the Lion of Orb…

Uzumi Nara Athha was merely waiting to see how things would play out, powerless just like the rest of them.

"What do you mean, Sir?" Heine Westenfluss asked, manner expectedly brisk. "You mean you'll allow us to go to war if PLANT instigates it-?"

"What he's saying is that Patrick Zala always gets what he wants," Cagalli rebutted, looking fiercer and more serious than anyone had ever seen her. Unlike her father, the Princess was less adept at concealing her feelings – predisposed, in fact, not to bother hiding them. "That man has enough clout in the international community to cause chaos – it will be difficult to avoid falling into his traps…"

She suddenly ceased speaking, face tightening as she envisioned what schemes the Prime Minister of PLANT was preparing under his sleeve. Seeing her angry face, the hate in her eyes, Alex tore his gaze away from the group, fists clenched.

"This is all my fault," he whispered, oblivious to the shocked gazes that were turned to him. Raising his head with effort, meeting the Sovereign's eyes, he said, voice shaking, "Uzumi-sama… I'm truly sorry. This wouldn't have happened if not for my mistake-"

Shinn jumped in. "No, Sir, Your Excellency, Alex – Agent Dino – he didn't want to go to PLANT. It was my idea, I forced him to do it-"

"Shinn, be quiet!" Kira Yamato spoke for the first time since they entered the conference room, placing a firm hand on Shinn's shoulder to keep him still.

"But Kira-!"

"What difference will pinning the blame make now?" Lacus Clyne said in her low, crystal voice, her eyes unnaturally sad. "Things are as they are. Nothing will change that, not even atonement." Inclining her head, she smiled at Alex, meeting his turbulent eyes, and said, "All we can do is strive to change the future. _That _is within our power."

Uzumi smiled softly. "The young lady is right. We must not dwell on past mistakes, on things we cannot change." Squaring his back, smiling a little wider, he continued, "There is much to be done, much that lies ahead of us. It is during times like these when we need the strength of a collective, a heart of one. History is not made by a few great men, of individuals alone… For all we know, the people of PLANT may see their leader's villainy just in time."

With mischief in his eyes, his face turned to Alex, Uzumi asked, "You remember my favorite historian?"

The young guard sobered. "Constantino? Yes…"

Uzumi – hands in his pockets, a sure sign he was thinking deeply – directed his gaze upward, and spoke, _"The fundamental cause of mass action is not the utterances of a leader; rather, these leaders have been impelled to action by historical forces unleashed by their social development…"_

"_We must therefore," _Cagalli continued, walking close to Alex, smiling softly, _"… not fall into the error of projecting the role of the individual to the extent of denying the play of these forces as well as the creative energies of the people who are the true makers of their own history." _[1]She raised a pale hand, lightly touched his arm. "Right, Alex?"

_One's life is dictated by one's destiny… Immortality, Son, is what I have written for you… _

But Uzumi was still smiling at him.

"Your Highness," Tolle Koenig reentered the room suddenly, looking mildly harassed, his dark hair in disarray. Behind him, visible through the open double doors, Junior Defense Secretary Natarle Badgiruel was prowling the corridor, searching. "Is this a bad time? Only, a horrible development has taken place-"

"What is it?" Cagalli asked before her father could speak. Her grip on Alex's arm had tightened.

"The _Duel _and the _Buster _are moving back toPLANT at alarming speeds," Badgiruel interrupted, stepping in front of Tolle. With a brief salute to her superior, she continued, "The _Blitz _has disappeared from our radar; it was last seen in the Pacific twenty-five minutes ago."

"_Duel, Buster _and _Blitz_ – PLANT warships," Heine, whispering so only the civilians could hear, stealing a quick glance at Uzumi. "This is bad."

"Call for a meeting of the Armed Forces," Uzumi instructed calmly, as everyone straightened up – even administrative personnel positioned several feet away. "The Morgenroate Headquarters, Natarle. And have the _Strike _and the _Aegis _ready. PLANT is moving faster than we have anticipated…"

"Shall we deploy _Impulse _as well, Your Highness?"

Uzumi paused. His eyes, blank and empty, were trained straight on the Commandant, who seriously returned the gaze blink per blink. "No, Natarle…" he decided finally, exhaling an barely audible sigh. "Not until the circumstances demand it…"

Badgiruel's eyes narrowed. "Very well, Your Highness."

A succession of salutes and the Defense officials disappeared, steps purposeful, strides long. As they stalked down the corridor, heads turned, whispers were exchanged, before the rush to find something to do, something productive, something to combat this threat of disaster. Feet flew as Heine turned to Kisaka, gritting his teeth.

"Sir, shall we have the Umbrella of Artemis installed then?"

"Yes, that would be the most prudent course of action," Kisaka mulled aloud. With a brief nod at his superior, he had walked distractedly to the hallway, the civilians right behind him. "Call for the Vanguard to gather at Headquarters in 10 minutes, but you and the next three highest-ranking surveillance personnel should stay in the Tower-"

"But, why?" Heine remained looking puzzled as Kisaka stopped walking to stare at him. "I mean, wouldn't we be more useful if we joined the Patrol Division? We all know the enemy's _outside_-"

"All the more we should concentrate on not letting the enemy _in_!" Kisaka barked, making Heine jump. "Westenfluss, think!"

Shinn stared openly, jaw slack, as Heine cursed and shook his hair to clear his head. "Kisaka-san, what can we do to help?"

Kisaka frowned. "You're civilians," he replied gruffly, walking on. "There's nothing you can do-"

"But we want to help!"

"Then go home, and don't cause trouble for anybody-"

"But Kisaka-san-!"

"Alex-kun."

He turned and saw Uzumi down the corridor, beside the conference room, Cagalli beside him. There was an undecipherable meaning in his eyes, as though he was trying to convey a message to Alex without anyone noticing. Blinking, the guard hesitated. What was the Sovereign trying to say?

"You go on ahead," he said to Kira and Shinn, who were watching him almost nervously. "I'll meet you in the Tower." To Kisaka, he added seriously, "They can be very persistent, Kisaka-san. I suggest you give them something to do because by doing otherwise you'll only waste your time."

As he approached Uzumi, Cagalli stepped forward, gliding in her pale blue dress. It was the gown of light silk that Alex had seen only half-finished for weeks, the gown she should have worn as she made her rounds of the city, in preparation for the night of the Turnover Ceremony… With the dress and the sapphires in her hair, she looked so sylphlike it pained him that no one else could see her this way.

And it was all his fault.

They met halfway down the corridor and she smiled. Alex didn't even bother to smile back; he merely lowered his gaze and apologized in silence, hoping she would understand, knowing she would and hate him for it. He walked on, his feet knowing where to go, before coming to a stop in front of the man who had raised him. Behind him, he heard Cagalli forcing the onlookers onward, herding distraction away for his sake. He almost broke his resolve, almost smiled… She knew them both so well.

"Alex." The Sovereign placed a mild, steady hand on his shoulder, searching his eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, Sir, I assure you I'm fine." Alex paused, averted his eyes, as he considered telling the truth. "There are many things… I wish to ask you. Many questions that I know you have the answers to. But…" He shook his head, willing his thoughts away. "Now is not the time for me to be selfish. You must put Orb first, before anything. There will always be another day for us to talk…"

Uzumi smiled. "Such noble intentions," he chuckled, patting Alex's shoulder. "You never change, do you? Always thinking you're worth less compared to everyone else…"

As Alex flustered and mumbled incoherently, Uzumi shook his head. "You matter to me, Alex." He turned grave, eyes deep. "Whoever you may have been born to, whoever may share your blood – none of these matter to me. _You are my son._ I have always treated you as such, and I will always treat you like so."

_Whatever happens, you are still my son… Nothing matters more than that._

"Thank you, Uzumi-sama." Alex smiled faintly. "I… thank you… so much."

Grinning, Uzumi shook Alex slightly, jerking his shoulder. "Have faith, Alex," he declared, eyes dancing. "Only you can write your destiny."

**A/N: **

The final chapter down! It's crazy, right? ::D I guessed all the stuff about 'pre-War preparations' – that's why all the lines sound silly. Sorry 'bout that. 0.o _[2 February 2011] _

**Revenge of the Footnotes:**

[1] _Renato Constantino_. Esteemed Filipino scholar. The line Uzumi and Cagalli invoke comes from one of his publications/lectures, _Veneration Without Understanding. _It's a kick-ass monograph, so if any of you are Filipinos or interested in learning about our national hero, Jose Rizal, please try reading it. ::D


	11. Epilogue: Complete, Not Whole

**Finding Alex Dino**

by beaple leone michaelmas

**Epilogue: Complete, Not Whole**

**Penultimate A/N: **

_[3 February 2011] _Before anything else, I'd like to say thank you to **flutter**, **moi**, , and **leyax **for reviewing _FAD! _Thanks so much guys! *shining eyes, Mogami Kyoko fairy mode style* I dedicate this story to the four of you, for your inputs that have pushed me to finished this fic faster than I would have without your support. Thanks! [Thanks, too, to everyone else reading this – hello, lurkers, if you exist. ::)]

Reflecting on the entirety of the fic, I realize the ending is a bit 'choppy' compared to the rather fluid introductory chapters, and I'll admit that's my mistake. ::( In the plot draft, there were smooth transitions [Chapter Eight supposedly opens with Alex in a limousine, being taken to where Patrick Zala is; Chapter Nine used to have a short intro where Alex is rescued by Kisaka and Co. after his father escapes] but I gave them up. I can't even remember why – for drama, probably. 0.o In any case, I'm relying on you, dear readers, to figure out what I've failed to explain. I believe in you! ::D

Again, thanks so much for reading _FAD! _Despite the horrible writing of the not-so-ending, please allow me to present to you my favorite chapter of this humble story: _Complete, Not Whole. _

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED _and _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. _

The whole concept belongs to Sunrise. This fic is based on _SEED _and _Destiny_.

**Epilogue: Complete, Not Whole**

_Friday – 09:11 _

He sat on the couch with his eyes on the road, taking in the sight of pedestrians trickling by, the slow movement of vehicles crossing his vision. It was a lazy Friday morning – a week to the day he first met Kira and Shinn, a week to the day he snapped and packed to go to PLANT, a week to the day he made a decision that changed his existence forever. Sighing, closing his bloodshot eyes, Alex Dino buried his face on maroon furniture fabric, taking steady breaths to ease his palpitating heart. He had not slept well the previous evening, though he had been temporarily taken out of guard duty. These past few days he had developed a fit of insomnia – from stress or something else he did not know…

He wondered how long he would have to endure sleepless nights.

On the wall beside him, standing slanted, was the middle piece of the painting that had started it all. Wrapped in brown packaging paper, Alex did not need to see what lay behind the covering to envision the image that had mesmerized so many without intending to. Raising his face almost languidly, his eyes aching from exposure to light, he looked at the clear blue skies of the world outside – fat, white clouds floating amidst a pale blue expanse of heaven, twin reflection of the little parting, greeting gift his mother had sent him. For the millionth time in the past few days, he pondered why his mother had chosen to paint the sky, of all things…

Why the sky, when he felt so confined by the knowledge of his real identity?

The door of the _Le Creuset Art Gallery_ suddenly opened, the bells above it making a gentle racket to alert those concerned of a guest's arrival. Rising to his feet, Alex had blinked to wake his tired eyes just as Kira Yamato and Shinn Asuka walked into the room, packages wrapped in brown paper held safely in their hands. They were laughing at something Shinn had said – Shinn, who had taken his signature hat off and was clutching it in his fist. With a final chuckle, Kira, sensing the movement of his other friend, met Alex's eye and smiled-

"Oh, it's just you."

The three of them turned, surprised to hear someone else speak. Mu La Flagga and Murrue Ramius were standing by their office, adults observing children in their care with differing expressions on their faces. He was leaning against the wall, glasses askew on the tip of his nose, a pout on his lips, as though he was ambivalent about a meeting taking place in his territory. But she was all smiles, beaming with eyes bright, as Shinn raised a hand at her in greeting, as Kira made a short albeit respectful bow.

"Those are the other two pieces then?" she inquired, gesturing briefly at the two in question.

Kira, mouth opened slightly as he hesitated to answer, turned to Alex for confirmation. "Uh… yes. These are all the pieces…"

Murrue's eyes softened. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, actually." Alex had a feeling she was asking him, although her eyes remained on Kira. "We think it should remain here, because now all of us have memories attached to it…"

There was a moment of sound skipped, as the three young men exchanged a look full of meaning, their resolve firm. Watching them, sensing that they had thought about this carefully, Mu sighed and touched his partner's sleeve to regain her attention. "Come on. They're old enough to know what they're doing…"

Arms around a retreating Murrue, he shot one last knowing glance at Alex, who merely sighed at the unabashed display of the man's juvenile tendencies. Shinn and Kira were making a racket, finding enough stretch of wall to set their paintings, free space in this lobby filled with elegant trinkets of art.

It was Shinn who plopped beside Alex first.

"So. How have you been?" A week ago, Alex would have been shocked to hear himself taking the first stab at conversation. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much, actually," Shinn acquiesced, as Kira occupied the seat on Alex's other side. "Although, my family seems to be considering evacuating to Carpentaria – can you believe that?" He shook his head, apparently disgusted. "My father thinks there's going to be a war, with the two must powerful countries like this."

"He might not be wrong," Kira slurred, morose. "Did you hear PLANT's actually sent the _Minerva_ out? That thing's practically just as well-equipped as the _Archangel_-"

Shinn impatiently waved the talk of military equipment aside. "Enough of that for now. Comparing military capabilities won't change what's going on." Turning to Alex, he snorted, and suddenly smirked. Quirking an eyebrow, he teased, "Don't you think you should ask Kira what _he's _been up to?"

"What?" Alex directed his gaze at Kira, who promptly reddened at all the attention he was receiving. He didn't look any different – perhaps a bit more well-fed, but otherwise- "What've _you_ been up to?"

"W-well…" He fidgeted with the tips of his fingers. Clearing his throat, eyes darting everywhere, he conceded, "Lacus and I have gotten engaged-"

"_Wow!" _Alex felt a strange happiness bubbling in his chest, bliss the color of bright light, the taste of tangy summer. "Congratulations! This is… unexpected. When are you getting married?"

"As soon as possible," Kira replied sheepishly, still flustered. "Her father still thinks I'm the reason she quit school so he's not very welcoming at the moment…"

Alex's mood dropped. In the midst of the current catastrophe, he had forgotten the situation of Kira's girlfriend. "Listen, Kira. About that. I'm really sorry about Lacus' scholarship-"

But, in a manner reminiscent of Shinn, Kira merely waved his apology aside. "You keep blaming yourself. It's not your fault, you know. Really, I just think we're both glad to have a reason to finally stay together…"

"And you, Alex?" Shinn intervened, worried, sensing that Alex didn't look pacified at all. "How are things in the home front? You look like you've been staying up all night again," he observed wisely, peering at the red corners of Alex's eyes.

Alex sighed heavily. "Athrun has started talking-"

"_No way! At two months?"_

He merely shrugged, unsure of what to say. He didn't think adding the bit of trivia that he had roughly the same record would improve things. "His baby sitter is driving me _insane_."

"Oh yeah, that Flay woman," Shinn recalled with a faraway look, the name odd on his lips. "Knew she had the hots for you-"

"More like she wants to _chop _me to death and bottle my remains for experimental purposes-"

"Disregarding _that_," Kira said sternly, ignoring Shinn's suppressed guffaw. Regarding Alex with a serious gaze, he asked, "What's going on at the Residence? How are Uzumi-sama and Cagalli-sama?"

Alex took his time. There was no clear way to describe how both of them were, and Alex would be damned if he tried to accurately illustrate the hell they were going through. "They're both pretty busy… Cagalli has altogether bypassed the Turnover Ceremony." Although he spoke naturally, he felt both Kira and Shinn stiffen at this update, their expressions somber. "And even though Uzumi-sama is technically retired now, both them are working hard as horses." A sigh, one more frown. "It's all my-"

"Shhh-"

"Stop it."

But Alex merely stared at his hands. "No, seriously. I wonder… if I hadn't been born – made – would any of this have happened?"

"Yes, it would have." Kira smiled sadly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It would have happened, one way or another…"

Shinn sighed heavily. "Humans will always strive to be better, to outperform themselves, to reach perfection." He shrugged. "Desire is a natural way of life."

There was a moment of silence as the three of them stared at each other.

"Wow, Shinn," said Kira, sincerely impressed. "That was really deep."

"I know – I've been thinking so much lately it's disturbing-"

They burst into laughter at the odd pronouncement, Kira actually reaching out enthusiastically to mock-punch Shinn's shoulder. Alex laughed, unable to control himself, for once relieved he could let himself go like this. From the far corner of the lobby, however, an ominous sound could be heard, and Alex felt himself slowly surfing back to reality. It was the familiar deep rumble of a newscaster's voice, a crisp monotone from a distant TV… Always the same tone when declaring some fresh disaster.

"Tensions between Orb and PLANT escalated today, 08:47 Western Standard Time, as sightings of an unidentified vessel were reported from Orb's Onogoro Military Headquarters." Alex could hear the woman's voice as though she was right beside him, standing but a foot away, speaking calmly into his ear. "The unidentified vessel, coded _Bogey-1_, is allegedly part of the PLANT fleet, one of the newly developed armament-carrier submarines directly under the command of Prime Minister Zala. It must be noted that-"

"Alex."

He turned to Kira and Shinn; both were observing him sternly. Alex hadn't realized he had been tuning out to their conversation. With a quick smile, he hastily tried to explain, "Sorry – it's just… I've been wondering why no one's yet realized how flimsy Zala's excuse for imposing aggressive self-defense is. Orb attacking – _open-firing _– at a foreign dignitary – _how stupid can they get_?"

Sticking a hand into his uncharacteristically messy hair, Alex exhaled heavily. "And to think PLANT believes all that trash about Orb planning to take over Aprillius – that's just the dumbest thing I've ever heard. _Why do they believe that so easily_?" He straightened up with difficulty, meeting Kira and Shinn's eyes. "Can't they tell this is Zala's way of retaliating against Uzumi-sama? It's just a misunderstanding between two people, there's no need to bring anyone else into the conflict…"

_It's just a tug-of-war game over me – us. _

"Are you going to tell everybody then?" It always disturbed Alex how spot-on Kira's assessments were. Shinn was one thing, but Kira… "Are you going to tell them? That you're a Coordinator, I mean-"

"If it comes to that, I'll have to, won't I?" Alex frowned, looking away, staring past the lobby window. Outside, on the other end of the near-empty street, a mother was wiping her child's face, scolding him lightly as ice cream messily trickled down his chin. The boy merely laughed, licking his fingers – bright and sticky and sweet. "I'm only sorry that I can't give Athrun a normal life… At least I lived somewhat normally – once."

Suddenly, the door bells clanged for a second time that morning, interrupting Alex's musings. Three young men slowly walked into the room, scanning the lobby before their eyes fell on the three by the couch. Feeling suddenly wary, Alex took stock of their civilian clothing, their dark glasses, and – above all – the rigidity with which they carried themselves. Even with the disguise, Alex could see it in them… military training. These men were no ordinary citizens.

"Can I help you?" floated Murrue's ever-peaceful voice from the office, as she and Mu emerged from their little sanctuary. Alex tried to warn them, tried to tell them something was definitely wrong about this scene, but the strangers beat him to it.

Casually turning to the curators of the gallery, the one standing nearest them – a tall, blond youth clad in leather and denim – opened one side of his jacket to show them the gun on his belt. "Careful," he warned, tone light, an adult speaking to a little child. "We're not here to hurt you, but if you interfere…"

He trailed off, turning his attention back to the Alex, Kira and Shinn, who now crouched below their seats, bent close to the tiled floor. Alex could feel Shinn tense beside him, his muscles contracting in agitation. But it was not the same tension Alex had felt from Shinn days ago – it was anger, pure anger, the desire to inflict damage, the desire to engage in a fight…

Beside them, Kira cursed under his breath.

As Murrue and Mu fell to a half-bend near the door of their office, silent and frozen in a mixture of fright and bewilderment, the remaining two strangers exchanged a long glance. The burlier one, with his seemingly bleached hair and golden tan, shrugged nonchalantly, as though to say, _"It's your call." _His comrade – lean and lithe, with white hair past his ears – stiffly turned to their captives and demanded-

"Alex Dino. Come with us."

Blinking, Alex shot a quick glance at his friends. Kira was looking pale and stricken; crimson hate was raging in Shinn's eyes. Murrue was clutching Mu's hand in desperation, as the latter looked placidly, calmly at Alex, who was wordlessly gaping back at him.

The submarine outside Onogoro… spotted thirty minutes ago… It all began to make sense. But Uzumi and Cagalli were in Morgenroate right now, and Kisaka was with them. Which meant - there was no one in the Residence with Athrun…

Alex paled visibly. Did Patrick Zala plan all of this?

_Will this conflict end if I leave with them…? _

"Don't do it."

Stunned, Alex jerked to the side, outbalanced, pulled by the pale, clammy hand that was gripping his arm tightly. Kira's deep purple eyes were looking back at him, begging him, pleading him… He could see himself reflected in them-

"Whatever it is you're thinking of – don't do it."

A flash of gunfire and a sharp, piercing crack. Alex could vaguely sense Murrue falling to her knees, Mu cursing as he fought to keep her steady. Kira was bending on the floor before him, shivering, paralyzed with fear – there was no blood and yet Alex felt an odd lightness rushing to his head. Shinn was clutching their friend's limp body, shaking Kira by the shoulders, demanding to know what was hurting. And vaguely, like shapes taking form behind a cloud of smoke, Alex saw the two blond men approach, their leader calmly, slowly, putting his gun back in its holster.

It was that moment, ultimately, that decided Alex's fate for him.

The world spinning fast around him, his head feeling empty, an odd throbbing in his ears – Alex fell forward, clutching the nearby coffee table for support. He could feel the heat in his fingers, the blood pumping in his veins – every pump, every beat, every footstep approaching. He was feeling lightheaded, and the blood was leaving his head and rushing to his head and leaving his head again. And he dimly remembered how everyone… how everyone had spoken about his power, his strength to change the world. How much strength he had within reach…

He had never felt it for himself before.

_Power_, he recalled, as a firm hand gripped his shoulder, shaking him. _What is power? _

There was a heavy feeling building inside him, overwhelming in weight and magnitude. He could hear someone shouting his name, someone shaking him roughly to wake him from his purgatory. At this moment, in his world, he was detached from everything else. Nothing made sense. Nothing else mattered.

He felt the sudden urge to laugh.

Green eyes shooting straight back up, he grabbed the rough hand holding him, gripping him. It was the blond man in leather, and he appeared so disturbed and shocked at his prey's sudden movement that he allowed panic to flash past his face. It must have been something in Alex's eyes, something on his face that compelled that horrified silence. But Alex didn't have time to think about it – he didn't care to think about it… not now.

_Whatever it is, it is strength. _It was the stirring of emotion – purpose – resolve… _It is power. _

Slowly, Alex Dino stood up.

**Final A/N: **

Sorry 'bout all that drama. ;;X Cameos care of Miguel Aiman, Yzak Joule and Dearka Ellsman. Again, thanks so much for reading _FAD! _My first and last foray into GS-dom. ::D_ [3 February 2011] _


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